The Toyota Green Initiative at the Bryan-Michael Cox Pre-GRAMMY Brunch

This past weekend, we helped the Toyota Green Initiative (TGI) bring the “green” to the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills in celebration of the marriage of music and sustainability at the Bryan-Michael Cox Pre-GRAMMY Brunch.

The Award-winning producer, Bryan-Michael Cox, hosted his pre-GRAMMY Awards Brunch for the 12th consecutive year. Cox, a GRAMMY Award winner for his acclaimed work with multiple platinum-selling artists, hosts the annual Brunch as an opportunity to honor industry influencers and groundbreaking artists. This year’s honorees included artist/songwriter/producer Rico Love, writer Kawan “KP” Prather and record label executive and artist, DJ Khaled.

The TGI Shuttle transported Influencers to and from the event. We then had them walk a green carpet then enjoy a delicious Brunch with table centerpiece art created by sustainable materials (Artist Duane Paul).

The Toyota Green Initiative (TGI), developed by Toyota in 2008, has been a catalyst for promoting sustainability across the country. With a focus on engaging African-Americans, TGI has become an influential voice in educating communities about green living by using unique events to communicate its messaging.

“Aligning with Bryan-Michael Cox, who has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability through his innovative approach to music producing, seemed like a natural fit for us,” says Toyota’s vice president for African-American Business Strategy, Jim Colon. Cox, who has been known to preferably record music in environmentally sound studios, felt the TGI brand would resonate well with his guests. “I really believe in what Toyota is doing through the TGI program, so I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make my peers in the music industry aware and more conscious of sustainability as a whole.”

The brunch featured exclusive eco-friendly car service in the 2016 Toyota Prius V for special influencers. Music was provided by hybrid artist, photographer, filmmaker and DJ, Catherine Ouellette.

The Brunch event has also been a platform for recognizing the work of Music & Memory, a program that brings personalized music through digital technology into the lives of people suffering from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Bryan-Michael Cox has been a long-time ambassador for the organization, which has also inspired Toyota to conduct iPod drives with its employees to help Music & Memory fulfill its mission and to also divert electronic waste from landfills.

Follow the @ToyotaShowcase handle and #ToyotaGreenXBMC for highlights from the Brunch event that happened on Sunday, February 14, 2016.