5 Tips to Save Fuel This Summer

Looking for Ways to Save Fuel? 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation accounted for 26 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2014, making it the second largest contributor behind the electricity sector. Now I would bet, that just like me, you are always going around your house turning off lights to save money and energy.  We know this decreases our greenhouse gas emissions and makes a difference to not only our electric bill, but our planet as well. And just like me, I also would bet that you work hard to save fuel.

Greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles are dependent on three factors: the vehicle, the fuel and the driver. The driver portion holds potential for substantial emission reductions at minimal cost, but is often overlooked.

Ford Motors Hits The Runway at Hong Kong Fashion Week with Sustainable Design

Ford on the Runway

 Ford’s sustainable seat fabrics make a stylish debut at Hong Kong Fashion Week

This week, Ford Motor Company made its debut on the Hong Kong Fashion Week runway as part of The EcoChic Design Award 2015/16 grand finale show. Five outfits featured in the show were made entirely from the up-cycling of Ford’s sustainable seat fabrics, which are made from recycled plastic bottles. 

Ford Set to Divert 5 Million Plastic Bottles From Landfills In 2015...Here's How

How Ford Rocks The F-150 With Recycled Bottles 

You know I love Ford and here's just one more reason why. They walk the green talk and they are doing it again with the F-150. According to the EPA,  in 2012 about 32 million tons of plastic waste was generated in the United States. Out of that, only 9 percent of it was recovered. The folks at Ford started thinking about how they could redirect plastics from landfills into sustainable materials to use in their vehicles.

Since 2012, Ford Motor Company has worked with Unifi to bring environmentally responsible, high-performance REPREVE fiber to many Ford vehicles. Now, this innovative fiber is available in the in the all-new F-150. By substituting with this recycled material, Ford will divert more than five million plastic bottles from landfills this year!  Pretty impressive.

Ford is the only automaker to use REPREVE, made from 100 percent recycled materials including plastic bottles, in its vehicles. Ford is currently using REPREVE in five vehicles around the world, making it a truly global material, and it represents Ford's larger commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle as part of the company’s global sustainability strategy to lessen its environmental footprint.





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P.S.- People always ask me where I get my organic food and personal care products and I love to tell them about The Green PolkaDot Box! Backed by the Organic Consumer's Association and EnvironmentalBooty.com, you can easily buy NonGMO organic groceries, including Harvest Fresh Organic produce, at wholesale pricing online.  It's like a Sam's club but focused on products for green, healthy living! You can even shop by dietary restrictions like gluten free, vegan or diabetic and it all comes right to your front door. Enjoy!

Guess Who Tops Interbrand's List of Top 50 Global Green Brands?

It Has Been a Crazy Couple of Days Here in Detroit at the Ford Trend's Conference...

Full Disclosure: Ford Motors paid for my lodging, airfare, and food while at the conference

Jeff White, Energy Efficiency Manager at Ford Motor Company, Explains Ford's Global Energy Use Reduction Numbers

Ford Motors Continues Sustainability Drive with Global Energy Use Reduction

Many car companies are working toward sustainability and Ford Motors is no different. What does make their efforts distinctly different is that their drive toward sustainability comes from a love of the environment directly from the top - from Bill Ford. In fact, decades ago when it was time for Bill Ford to take over the helm of the company, he made a conscious decision to stick with Ford instead of move into work in the environmental field. The green runs deep and wide at Ford and consumers benefit.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Jeff White, Energy efficiency Manager at Ford Motor Company, about their newest energy reduction numbers.

What Is The Future of Green Cars?

Ford's C-Max Solar Energi Concept Car

Consumers Embrace Electric Vehicles But What’s Next? 

Post Powered by The Green Insurance Company

It seems that electric vehicles (EV’s) are finally mainstream and consumers worldwide are purchasing them in record numbers. Nissan was so excited over their February EV sales numbers that they released them early with their sales showing 12 straight months of year-over-year sales increases for the world's most popular battery-electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf.

"Longer term, we believe that electrification will continue to grow as more customers recognize the inherent benefits of driving on electricity." said Mike Tinskey, Ford Motor Company's Global Director of Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure. "To date, industry sales are modest - 4% of all new sales are electrified products (PHEV, HEV, BEV) – but it is growing as this number was only 2% in early 2012."

"Bottom line, people are either getting bored of hybrid cars, their gas cars or truck and speaking with their wallets for some increased form of electric transport. " says Seth Leitman, Green Living Guy.

Today the choices in design offer something for everyone and range anxiety is becoming a thing of the past with charging stations popping up worldwide to reduce range anxiety.

"The US and Europe are in a close race based on charging station numbers. We are seeing about 23,000 stations in the US, and roughly 20,000 in Europe. This is data from January 2014, and with Europe on a fast installation pace, our estimate is that the two regions are a close tie." said Tinskey.

But now many are wondering what is next for the future of green cars?

Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2014 Places Consumers in the Middle of a Relational Rebirth

Ford 2014 Trend Report Places Consumers in the Middle of a Relational Rebirth

One of the things I enjoy most about my work with Ford Motors is getting a chance to hear what their Global Trend and Futuring Manager, Sheryl Connelly, has to say about consumer trends. This lady is a rock star and must work under an immense amount of pressure but she handles her job and her family responsibilities without missing a beat, at least in public, and offers up some of the most valuable and intriguing information for businesses and consumers to chew on.

Recently, Ford Motor Company released their second annual top 10 trend report for 2014 and the news is that consumers are reevaluating their relationships with technology, time, their health, and our most precious asset on the planet. 

The report – Looking Further with Ford 2014 – highlights 10 global consumer trends for the new year that explore how the technology explosion will affect consumer choices and behaviors.  Insights from the trend report then guide Ford designers, engineers and marketers in development of future Ford products and services.

Ford's Sustainable Road Trip: How America's Best Selling Truck is Built Ford Tough and Green

How Ford Serves Up America’s Best-Selling Truck: Tough with a Side of Eco-Friendly

I have seen firsthand the reliability of Ford trucks. I have owned three Ford Expeditions and one Explorer and have enjoyed the fact that we can always count on them. It is crazy how they rarely break down or have problems and they just go forever.

I have also seen firsthand Ford's commitment to the environment in talking to Bill Ford and John Viera, Ford global director of sustainability and vehicle environmental matters, as well as through touring their plants, and it is hard not to admire their green efforts.

Ford continues to work toward a greener future and in the process, they are pulling consumers along with them on a their sustainable road trip.

How Ford is Pushing The Green Envelope with Fusion and Recycled Materials

Click HERE to see a larger version or to download infographic.

Serious Sustainability in A Seriously Hot Green Ride: Fusion Takes Ford’s Use of Recycled Material Global

    •    With the hottest green car on the market, 2013 Fusion, Ford becomes first automaker to use fabrics made of recycled materials in vehicles sold around the world

Have you seen a ton of Ford Fusions out and about in your town lately?  They seem to be the "it" car of the moment and for good reason.  Ford Fusion is the first global vehicle program from any automaker to use seat fabric made from recycled material, with the potential to recycle enough plastic bottles and post-industrial waste to make 1.5 million yards of fabric annually. That’s equivalent to between 800,000 and 900,000 yards in North America when Fusion is in full production.

Enter to Win a Ford C-Max Hybrid, Whirlpool & Eaton Smart Appliances & SunPower Solar Panels!

Enter to Win the Biggest, Greenest Giveaway EVER Worth Tens of Thousands of Dollars!  

I have talked up the Ford MyEnergi Lifestyle initiative and promised to keep you in the loop when the giveaway was live and although they did tell Katie Couric before me, Ford just emailed to let me know that now is the time to enter to win!!  WOOT!!

Ford Partners with KB Home to Eliminate Electric Bill in Sustainable ZeroHouse 2.0

KB Home ZeroHouse 2.0 Features Ford’s MyEnergi Lifestyle® to Virtually Eliminate Electric Bill

Last week, Ford Motor Company and KB Home announced that products from Ford's MyEnergi Lifestyle® will be featured in the KB Home's ZeroHouse 2.0 model home in San Marcos, Calif. and soon in even more KB Home markets. This innovative partnership joins a leader in state-of-the-art sustainable building practices with the most influential, Eco-friendly motor company to create the affordable home of the future, today.  Ford and KB Home's ZeroHouse 2.0 offers the next generation of energy-efficient home design which can help lower cost of home ownership and a fully optioned ZeroHouse could entirely eliminate monthly electricity charges.

Exclusive: Ford's John Viera on The Sustainable Car of The Future - Interview with Global Director of Sustainability and Vehicle Environmental Matters at Ford Motor Company

John Viera...Green Rock Star

It's hard for me to look at John Viera with anything other than stars in my eyes and that is saying a lot coming from this +Michigan State University Spartan.  Even though he holds both a Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's in Business Administration from one of my school's greatest rivals, the  +University of Michigan, to me John is a still a full on, green living rock star. 

Not only is John Viera sharp as a tack and exceedingly competent and effective in his role as Global Director, Sustainability and Vehicle Environmental Matters at +Ford Motor Company, he is just a heck of a nice guy.   

Green News From the 2013 North American International Auto Show

The Green Buzz from NAIAS 2013

It has been an invigorating few days here in Detroit at the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Thanks to +Ford Motor Company, I have been hanging out with prominent bloggers from all over the world getting the latest green news that is coming out of Ford.

The highlight so far was chatting with John Viera, Fords Head of Sustainability, and hearing about Ford's vision of the automobile as well as hearing from Ford's in house futurist, Sheryl Connelly, about consumer trends and Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motors about affordbale electric vehicles.

The news from the 2013 North American International Auto Show is that it is becomingly increasingly clear that the future is inextricably connected to a more sustainable lifestyle. From the materials used in the production of cars, to the way we as consumers are looking toward brands to help us help ourselves live greener, there is no escaping a more sustainable way of life.

Our cars will ever increasingly become connected with technology and that technology will not only make our lives easier and safer, but more economical as well. 



The talk on the floor at NAIAS this year is all about electric. As hybrid sales are currently about 3.7 percent of industry totals, that number may not seem like a huge share. Yet when you understand that that total is up from 2% in just the last 12 months, the shift from fossil fuels becomes amazingly hopeful and inspiring. To put that number into even more perspective, it was just in 2004 that Ford introduced their first hybrid.

Ford is leading the way to a greener way of life that includes our beloved cars and in doing so, helping to preserve the American dream.

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P.S.- People always ask me where I get my organic food and personal care products and I love to tell them about The Green PolkaDot Box! Backed by the Organic Consumer's Association and EnvironmentalBooty.com, you can easily buy NonGMO organic groceries, including Harvest Fresh Organic produce, at wholesale pricing online.  It's like a Sam's club but focused on products for green, healthy living! You can even shop by dietary restrictions like gluten free, vegan or diabetic and it all comes right to your front door. Enjoy!

How to Be Green? Win a MyEnergi Lifestyle® from Ford Motors and Their Partners and Live the Energy Efficient Lifestyle of Tomorrow, Today!

Think You Have to Wait for the Energy Efficient Lifestyle of the Future?  Ford Motors and Their Electric Energy Partners are Bringing it To You Today!

Last night at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, +Ford Motor Company  wowed attendees by announcing a partnership with Eaton, SunPower, and Whirlpool, along with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Nest Labs, to show that the energy-efficient lifestyle is not just a dream of tomorrow, but an actual and affordable reality for families and consumers right now.

This strategic collaboration, dubbed MyEnergi Lifestyle®, demonstrates how a typical American family can significantly reduce their electricity bills and CO2 footprint, by integrating home appliance technology with a plug-in vehicle to achieve an energy-efficient lifestyle of tomorrow...today.

Looking for a New Car in 2013? 3 Ways Ford C-MAX Beats Toyota and Honda Hybrids

3 Ways The Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in is Leaving The Hybrid Competition In The Dust 

I cut my teeth on +Ford Motor Company cars and have personally owned six. I love that they didn't take any money in the bailout and that they have such a huge commitment to green.  I told you a few months ago how the Ford C-Max was a far superior car to the Chevy Volt and the Toyota Prius and now consumers are on board and buying the Ford C-Max faster than any other hybrid at launch. 

• Ford achieved its best electrified vehicle sales month ever in November with 7,157 units sold, with C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid outselling Prius v and Prius Plug-in combined by nearly 10 percent
• The Ford C-MAX has become the fastest-selling hybrid ever at launch, with 8,030 units sold in its first two months of sales in October and November, outpacing Toyota Camry Hybrid’s 7,300 sales in its first two full months in May and June 2006 
• C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid are selling three times faster than the combined launch sales of Toyota Prius and Honda Insight in 2000 

And the news just gets better for Ford and the planet.  With more than half of hybrid sales this year expected to come in the fourth quarter, Ford is projecting an all-time record quarter for hybrid sales at December close.

Connect with Shane on Google+

P.S.- People always ask me where I get my organic food and personal care products and I love to tell them about The Green PolkaDot Box! Backed by the Organic Consumer's Association and EnvironmentalBooty.com, you can easily buy NonGMO organic groceries, including Harvest Fresh Organic produce, at wholesale pricing online.  It's like a Sam's club but focused on products for green, healthy living! You can even shop by dietary restrictions like gluten free, vegan or diabetic and it all comes right to your front door. Enjoy!

Taylor Lautner's Green Lifestyle Now Rocks Fisker Karma

Taylor Lautner Adds Some Green Karma to His Green Living Lifestyle!

So I have chatted up Taylor Lautner and his green living lifestyle before and it looks like he is continuing down the eco-friendly road at super high speeds while hugging the turns tight. Twilight star Taylor Lautner was spotted driving his eco-friendly Fisker Karma in Brentwood last weekend and let me add that the car looked hot and Taylor looked happy.

Cars Made of Trees? Ford Investigates Plastic Composites Made from Tree Fibers

The Use of Tree Fibers Called Cellulose in Plastic Composites in Ford's Automotive Applications Could Significantly Reduce CO2 Emissions and Weight

Ford is working with Weyerhaeuser – one of the largest forest products companies in the world – to find a more sustainable plastic composite material for future Ford vehicle components.  As I learned when visiting Ford Motors in Dearborn earlier this year, Ford already uses a variety of sustainable materials throughout its lineup, including soybean-based cushions and head restraints that save about 5 million pounds of petroleum annually.

Ford Motors and SHFT.com Partner to Inspire Us All: Interview with Independent Film Producer and SHFT.com Co-Founder, Peter Glatzer

SHFT.com and Ford Motor Company have released the first 6 films of their brand new documentary series, The Big SHFT: 10 Innovators Changing Our World and they are nothing if not inspiring.

Looking for Green Inspiration?  Get to Know Independent Film Producer and SHFT.com Co-Founder, Peter Glatzer and His New Documentary Series, The Big SHFT: 10 Innovators Changing Our World

Although Peter Glatzer is as relaxed and laid back as a pet rock, he is immensely more interesting and certainly much more inspiring.  I had the pleasure of speaking with Peter recently about his thoughts on the past, present and future of sustainability and his SHFT.com partnership with actor and filmmaker Adrian Grenier and Ford Motors.

SHFT.com and Ford Motor Company have released the first 6 films of their brand new documentary series, The Big SHFT: 10 Innovators Changing Our World and they are nothing if not inspiring. The films feature eco-entrepreneurs and innovative leaders in their fields, including Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman, Bill Ford; TerraCycle’s CEO, Tom Szaky; renowned organic chef and author, Alice Waters; and Rebuild the Dream’s co-founder, Van Jones.

The Big SHFT is a unique series of digital shorts featuring cutting-edge innovators making sustainable advances in technology from industries such as sustainable fashion and transport to advanced upcycling and smart plastics. The films stem from a partnership announced last year between SHFT.com and Ford to inspire people to make smarter environmental decisions through film, design, art, transportation and culture.

Prepare to Be Eco-Inspired

EB: First, can you tell my readers what SHFT stands for?  Is it an acronym?

Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) Kicks the Prius and Volt to the Curb

No Range Anxiety with Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in Hybrid (PHEV)

Just as more American consumers than ever are ready to buy more energy efficient rides, it looks like the new Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) is going to kick the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt to the Curb.  Last week Ford announced that the new C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) is expected to achieve more than 20 miles of electric-only range - nearly double the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid and the Prius plug-in- and is expected to travel up to 550 miles on a single tank of gas, exceeding the range of both the Prius PHEV (540 mi) and the Volt (379 mi).

Drivers of the C-MAX Energi could travel round-trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas or from Detroit to New York City on a single tank. Topping it off, C-MAX Energi delivers fuel economy that is the equivalent of 95 miles per gallon (MPGe) combined city/highway.

How Ford Reduced Energy Use by 22% - Infographic

Ford Releases Annual Sustainability Report and Announces 22% Per Vehicle Reduction in Energy Use

Last week Ford released its annual go green Sustainability Report and impressed consumers and industry alike with the fact that it has managed to reduce the amount of energy required to produce each vehicle in its manufacturing facilities by a whopping 22% over the last six years.  Incredibly, Ford also announced their plans to reduce usage by another 25% on a per-vehicle basis by 2016.