The company is even working with hydrogen technology, which many deem to be the real future of the industry. The truth is, nobody can reliably predict what’s in store for us, but it’s pleasing to know that one company is positioned to embrace whatever technological advancements come our way. To me, that’s simply smart thinking!
Of course, being green means much more than just switching off the living room lights when not in use, or choosing a more fuel-efficient mode of transportation. There are many environmental issues concerning our world today and Ford is committed to doing its part, with ideas ranging from improving the environmental impact of its automotive paint facilities, to reducing its water consumption across its entire operation.
In fact, let’s just take a quick look at a couple of ways in which the company is making our world a better place to live.
At The Rouge, the company’s Dearborn truck plant, the facility now employs Sedum, a drought-resistant perennial groundcover, spread over approximately 10.4 acres of its roof area. Not only does the plant life help diminish storm water runoff, it doubles the life of the roof, and provides insulation whilst reducing cooling and heating demands by 5 percent. It also absorbs carbon dioxide to help reduce greenhouse gases. In fact, Ford has the largest “living” roof in the automotive industry.
Many Ford vehicles already use recycled materials, including the Flex, Focus, Fusion, Edge, Ranger, F-150 and Explorer as well as the Lincoln MKZ, MKX and Navigator. The benefits from this are obvious, and it’s estimated that Ford saved $4 to $5 million in 2009 by using these recycled materials and diverted between 25 and 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills. Now that’s got to be good news for everyone!
All this information is now readily available to the public through the company’s newly released 2010/2011 Sustainability report.
Check it out for yourselves, and who knows; perhaps we’ll one day be calling Ford, “The Green Oval”.
Of course, being green means much more than just switching off the living room lights when not in use, or choosing a more fuel-efficient mode of transportation. There are many environmental issues concerning our world today and Ford is committed to doing its part, with ideas ranging from improving the environmental impact of its automotive paint facilities, to reducing its water consumption across its entire operation.
In fact, let’s just take a quick look at a couple of ways in which the company is making our world a better place to live.
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| Photo: Ford |
At The Rouge, the company’s Dearborn truck plant, the facility now employs Sedum, a drought-resistant perennial groundcover, spread over approximately 10.4 acres of its roof area. Not only does the plant life help diminish storm water runoff, it doubles the life of the roof, and provides insulation whilst reducing cooling and heating demands by 5 percent. It also absorbs carbon dioxide to help reduce greenhouse gases. In fact, Ford has the largest “living” roof in the automotive industry.
Many Ford vehicles already use recycled materials, including the Flex, Focus, Fusion, Edge, Ranger, F-150 and Explorer as well as the Lincoln MKZ, MKX and Navigator. The benefits from this are obvious, and it’s estimated that Ford saved $4 to $5 million in 2009 by using these recycled materials and diverted between 25 and 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills. Now that’s got to be good news for everyone!
All this information is now readily available to the public through the company’s newly released 2010/2011 Sustainability report.
Check it out for yourselves, and who knows; perhaps we’ll one day be calling Ford, “The Green Oval”.