Representatives from more than a dozen countries visited Birmingham Tuesday to discuss economic opportunities in the first meeting of its kind.

Members of the Georgia's and Alabama's Consular Corps met jointly in Birmingham for the first time, said Michael Johnson, Honorary Consul of Germany and attorney at Birmingham law firm Butler Snow.

"Every one of them learned something new about Alabama, which is very important," Johnson said. "If you don't bring people together face to face, they can't make that personal connection. We'll build on this." 

Toyota's engine plant in Huntsville was among North American manufacturing facilities recently honored for environmental sustainability by the EPA.

The automotive company has won its 11th consecutive Energy Star Partner of the Year award, the most by any automaker. Toyota said it has saved nearly $600 million, reduced 14 billion kilowatt hours of energy and cut CO2 emissions by 40 percent per vehicle since benchmarking began in 2002.

"While there's always room for improvement, achieving energy efficiency demonstrates that good ideas have helped us become environmentally responsible while making a significant impact to our bottom line," said Robin Haugen, general manager of Toyota's plant and environmental group