Employees from Irvine, CA-based Roland, as well as affiliates and partners in business, gathered at the Club Sirio Libanes on Oct. 15 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to celebrate the success of Eco Journey South America 2008, a major public-service campaign and automotive tour across South America to raise awareness for environmental issues throughout the continent. 

Eco Journey was founded by Team ACP, a Japanese racing team and former Paris-Dakar Rally champions. Roland says past Eco Journeys have taken the team across Europe, China, North America, Japan and the Sahara desert—each to advocate environmental initiatives. The 2008 Eco Journey kicked off September 15 in Quito, Ecuador and concluded October 15 in Buenos Aires.  The route crossed an elevation change of 4000 m from north to south and passed through archeological sites, deserts, the salt flats of Salar de Uyuni, and Patagonia.

Roland explains that Team ACP worked to minimize fuel consumption across South America’s extreme environmental conditions, demonstrating the power and viability of today’s fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. Along the route, Team ACP met with top industry professionals in major cities to promote a variety of environmental issues, focusing on the importance of energy conservation. 

To honor Team ACP’s work and commitment to the environment, the Roland special event featured presentations by Team ACP, Roland, and Toyota. Each paid tribute to the environmental campaign and discussed the many causes supported by Eco Journey. 

“We strongly support the goals of Eco Journey and applaud Team ACP for the success of this public service campaign,” says Rick Scrimger, vice president and general manager for Roland DGA Corp. “We are proud to be a part of this important mission to help promote environmental initiatives including energy conservation.”