Nissan Americas Supports Partnership With Habitat For Humanity With $1.5 Million Donation

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past seven years, Nissan Americas has provided $8 million to Habitat for Humanity International in support of its efforts to build affordable, sustainable homes in partnership with families in need of decent housing. Today Nissan Americas announced a $1.5 million donation to expand its longstanding partnership with Habitat for Humanity in the Americas.  Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., based in Yokohama, Japan, today also announced a new global partnership that will invest $1 million in Habitat building projects in India, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

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"Nissan has been working with Habitat in the Americas for many years, building energy-efficient homes with dozens of families," said Bill Krueger, vice chairman, Nissan Americas. "Now that Nissan has identified Habitat as a global partner, we will have a broader platform through which we can give back to the communities where our customers, dealers and employees live. Our support will help to address growing social concerns about the lack of affordable housing for people everywhere."

"We are so grateful for Nissan's dedication and commitment to affordable, sustainable housing," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.  "The broad support that Nissan provides – including funding and product donations and employee-dealer engagement – makes it possible for us to help families around the world build the foundation for a better life."

In the Americas, Nissan will fund the construction of homes in Arizona, California, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Toronto, Canada. The company is funding grants and providing Nissan vehicles to 10 Habitat affiliates that make commitments to sustainable construction practices. Habitat will use a portion of Nissan's donation to conduct sustainability "summits" for Habitat affiliates and their local communities.

Nissan funding also will support the annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Haiti in November. Six Nissan employees will join 500 international volunteers to help build 100 Habitat homes in partnership with Haitian families during the seven-day project.

Nissan will continue to invite all its stakeholders to participate in the partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Point-of-sale materials in dealerships and communications to consumers will convey information about Habitat activities and engagement opportunities. Consumers who visit the Nissanusa.com website can click through to Habitat's site, habitat.org, to make donations or to find volunteer opportunities across the United States.

Nissan North America, a recipient of the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence award, is committed to sustainability. Nissan-sponsored Habitat homes will be equipped with many "green-living" features, including low-flowing plumbing fixtures, programmable thermostats, energy-efficient fluorescent lighting, high-performance windows and ENERGY STAR^® appliances.

Nissan's partnership with Habitat dates to 2005, following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Nissan donated 50 Nissan Titan trucks to assist Habitat's response efforts in the Gulf Coast and mobilized employees to assist in home building. Since 2006, Nissan employees have helped to build more than 40 homes across the United States. To date, Nissan's employees have logged more than 70,000 volunteer hours building homes with Habitat for Humanity.

About Nissan Americas
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.6 million vehicles in 2011. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades, including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

Blue Citizenship is the commitment of Nissan Motor Company to realize our vision of Enriching People's Lives. We commit to our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities where we do business to deliver engaging, valuable and sustainable mobility for all. Through our business activities, we aim to create economic value and to actively contribute toward the development of a sustainable society.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God's love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit Habitat.org, follow us at www.facebook.com/habitat or at www.twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat's blog community at www.habitat.org/blog.

SOURCE Nissan North America