Eco-Friendly Yokohama Enhances Tire Exhibit with Walls Made from Live Plants

March 26, 2010

Earth Day is still a month away, but environmentally friendly Yokohama has started celebrating early with a living display at this weekend's Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. The exhibit features a lush "living wall" grown from natural plants.

Using a new, award-winning technology developed by NatureXhibits, the Yokohama Tire display at the Kentucky Exposition Center features a "living wall" that is both decorative and leaves virtually zero waste, according to Jim MacMaster, Yokohama executive vice president and COO.

"We have a slogan at Yokohama, 'excellence by nature,' and the living wall truly represents that ideal," MacMaster said. "It's natural, biodegradable and lends an eye-catching, dynamic element to our booth. I think the public will appreciate its uniqueness and the environmental benefit it delivers."

Developed by NatureXhibits in Laguna Beach, California, the Vertical Exhibit Garden technology allows exhibitors at trade or consumer shows to use living plant materials instead of printed products. NatureXhibits created a similar Living Wall display for Yokohama's exhibit at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December 2009.

"We provide exhibitors like Yokohama the ability to replicate company logos in 3D using lush, oxygen-producing plants," said Scott Hutcheon, president of NatureXhibits (www.naturexhibits.com). "It's a perfect way to attract a crowd with something that looks spectacular, is living, recyclable, and leaves almost no waste."

The Living Wall display grown from of lettuce winter density and lolla rosa, will be recycled at the conclusion of the show. Since it's primarily made of lettuce, it could even potentially be grown in a backyard garden and made into a giant salad!

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in the United States, Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Yokohama strives to be a leader in technology and innovation, by offering such products s the dB Super E-spec(TM) - the world's first tire to use orange oil to reduce petroleum, as well as tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information visit www.yokohamatire.com.