Ford says "Change the World" with Energy Star, lightbulbs, etc.
It's not that the Fusion hybrid isn't a decent part-electric vehicle, it's just that Ford thinks you should change your lightbulbs as well as the car in your driveway. Ford has joined up with the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to promote the EPA's "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" campaign. The idea is to use less energy around the house – oh, and to do so in part with electronic equipment that bears the Energy Star logo. The goal of the "Change the World" program is to eliminate 14 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Somehow, we expect most readers to be on board with a program like this without a corporate reminder.
For its part, Ford has made its U.S. facilities almost 35 percent more efficient since 2000, and the EPA has recognized this by giving the Blue Oval the Energy Star Award for each of the last four years
[Source: Ford]
PRESS RELEASE:
Ford joins epa campaign encouraging consumers to reduce personal home energy use
* Ford Motor Company kicks off national pledge drive in support of the EPA's "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" campaign; aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14 million pounds through personal energy-saving actions
* More than $18 billion in annual energy costs could be realized if every American household took part in the pledge
* Ford has earned the EPA's coveted ENERGY STAR Award four years in a row and has improved energy efficiency in its U.S. facilities by nearly 35 percent – equivalent to the annual energy consumed by more than 150,000 homes – since 2000
DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 5, 2009 – As part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, Ford Motor Company is urging its employees and customers to join the effort by reducing their personal energy use and cutting their CO2 footprints. Individuals can help by pledging their support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" campaign.
Each ENERGY STAR Pledge can help Ford meet or exceed its pledge goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 14 million pounds. The ENERGY STAR Pledge includes small, individual energy-saving actions that collectively can make a difference. They include:
* Changing incandescent light bulbs to ENERGY STAR-rated compact fluorescent lamps.
* Using a programmable thermostat to save energy while asleep or away from home.
* Enabling power management settings on computers and monitors so they go into "sleep mode" when away or not in use.
* Making purchases of ENERGY STAR-qualified products, such as home electronics, office products and/or appliances.
* Making sure homes are well sealed and insulated.
By using less energy, consumers can reduce the amount of fossil fuels burned at power plants to make electricity. This means less of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. According to the EPA, if every American household took part in the pledge, it could save more than $18 billion in annual energy costs.
"Most people underestimate how much their homes can influence greenhouse gas emissions," said George Andraos, director, Energy Supply and Efficiency, Ford Land. "We want to help them understand that taking small steps – like changing their light bulbs – can help reduce the collective impact of global climate change."
Good for the environment and good for business
This past March, Ford earned the EPA's coveted 2009 ENERGY STAR Award for the fourth consecutive year, recognizing Ford's continued leadership and commitment to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.
"Earning these prestigious ENERGY STAR awards validates Ford's belief that a sustainable, profitable business requires responsible use of environmental resources," said John Viera, Ford director for Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "Our partnership with ENERGY STAR has been instrumental in driving energy efficiency improvements throughout our company."
The EPA introduced ENERGY STAR in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to offer business and consumers effective energy efficiency solutions for saving energy, money and the environment. Ford became a registered ENERGY STAR partner in 1998.
In 2008, Ford improved energy efficiency in the U.S. by 5 percent resulting in savings of approximately $16 million. Actual savings due to plant shutdowns were higher, but Ford measures energy efficiency as energy consumed per vehicle. Since 2000, Ford's U.S. facilities have improved energy efficiency by nearly 35 percent. That's equivalent to the annual energy consumed by more than 150,000 homes.
The most significant energy efficiency actions included installation of large-scale networked heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, air compressor controls and energy-efficient production tooling. Data-driven processes and automated systems further drove improvements at manufacturing, corporate, and research and engineering facilities.
Ford is reducing its impact on the environment through implementation of technologies such as geothermal cooling, landfill gas reclamation, converting paint fumes to fuel, hydroelectricity, and wind and solar technology to power manufacturing plants in clean, sustainable ways. In the U.S., renewable or "green" power supplies 5 percent of Ford's energy needs.
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rain 4:55PM (10/11/2009)
CFL's are kind of a two-edged sword.
Yes they are more efficient than a standard Edison A-bulb but at the end of life,they contain traces of mercury that will end up in landfills unless properly recycled.
They can be hazardous to the home environment if broken,what to do in the event a product is destroyed containing mercury:
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/
Power Factor Correction should be mandatory on all ballast's both for CFL's and all replacement ballast's whether they are Core based or Electronic in nature.
The Frequency Amplitude especially in CFL's and Electronic Ballast's tend to set up harmonics in the grid which causes transmission losses
mitigating major gains from using less wattage to illuminate with.
More on P.C.F.,right here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor
The cost in Europe per CFL in US currency,I believe, equals around 15 cents per bulb.
Compact Flourescent's do save money,they cost less to use and they last much longer than conventional light bulb's and they reduce wear and tear on fixtures due to reduced heat and frequency of replacement.
This just fits well into the three R's of conservation:
Reduce,Re-use,Recycle.
Just use caution and properly recycle them and everything is Okay.
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TheWho 11:28PM (10/11/2009)
GE is closing incandescent bulb plants in Winchester WA as well as incandescent factories in Ohio and Kentucky. GE is replacing the incandescents for now with compact fluorescents bulbs, which GE manufactures in China. I guess bringing products from there doesn't produce any pollution right?! And how about environmental laws out there in "far west" China?
Bottom line: 400 jobs lost in the USA :-(
3n1gma 5:09PM (10/11/2009)
Ha what a PR stunt. Speaking of lightbulbs why the hell don't their affordable cars come with XENON headlights yet? Is Ford saying that only rich people should be allowed to drive safe cars? Is it because they want to make clear distinctions between the upper and lower class? Is it because they want to make disposable cars so you have to by a new one when they decide to change cosmetic body details? I would never buy a car without xenon headlights in 2009. They've got to be kidding. No wonder they need government bailouts. They forgot how to be a competitive car company a long time ago. It's all about lining their pockets with PR stunts like this. Renault is about to release 3 EVs. Toyota's had the Prius for like 11 years.
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gulags 6:50PM (10/11/2009)
The last thing I want is every jackass on the road to have xenon headlights. it's bad enough when there's a few people on the highway behind me with those things blazing away.
Also, Ford is doing just fine, thanks. They did not ask for, nor received any government bailout funds. A few more months and they'll be releasing the American version of the Fiesta, which should be a huge hit.
skierpage 6:52PM (10/11/2009)
It helps to get a clue before ranting.
Ford did not enter into a financial agreement with the US government for bailout money, unlike GM and Chrysler. Renault announced four concept EVs and none is close to production (the countdown on http://www.renault-ze.com/uk/ says "900 days"). Meanwhile the Ford Focus EV seems to be a definite go for 2012 ("due out in late 2011"), and the Ford Transit Connect EV commercial van is supposedly entering limited production this year. All car companies' EV plans are notoriously squishy, but right now Ford offers the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedan in the USA (for people who don't like the Prius hatchback) and by some measurements the most fuel-efficient SUV.
"It's all about lining their pockets with PR stunts like this"
I agree this is a PR stunt, but I don't see how it makes Ford any money. Although Energy Star sets the bar pretty low, earning it four years in a row is a nice achievement and suggests Ford has made progress in becoming a manufacturer less harmful to the environment. Compared to for example Chevron's revolting "I will use less energy" it's not particularly offensive greenwashing.
john 9:48PM (10/11/2009)
Sorry gulags, I have to respectfully disagree. Xenon HID headlights are the best ... when they're adjusted correctly they have much less glare than regular headlights. Even when I encounter cars with HID lights on high beam, I can always still see ok, but some cars even with regular headlights are blinding.
MikeW 10:49PM (10/11/2009)
HID headlights should have never been allowed under the SAE headlight system. Glare is built into the design specification. (and lets not talk about mounting height and beam declination)
"when they're adjusted correctly" That would require dynamic auto leveling, front AND rear axle sensors. (which is really rare) automatic leveling-one rear axle sensor is more common (and cheaper)
Manual leveling depends on the thoughtfulness & diligence of the other driver, which isn't something you want to depend one.
and fixed aim was okay (see 2004 Acura TL)
So more often than not they are NEVER adjusted correctly.
HID reflectors suck, and thankfully are almost extinct.
LEDs will replace HIDs, but not for a good five years.
There are no cars with HID high beams. There are bi-projector HID headlights which have a 'high-middle' function.
Ford still uses H13 dual beam headlights for the most of their products, they have the worst headlight lineup in the industry. Well at least the only place they have to go, is up.
Maestro Mario 11:11PM (10/11/2009)
Change the world: Throw away what you have and buy more stuff.
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Chris 3:33PM (10/12/2009)
...or you can make informed and hopefully more environmentally responsible purchases when old items break and actually need replacement.