Ford extends environmental grants program in Sri Lanka

Ford this week announced the winning project under their Environmental Conservation and Grants program in Sri Lanka.

The ‘Fire Prevention in Knuckles Forest Reserve’ project was selected as the winner after heavy jury examination and will receive up to $ 10,000 from Ford Motor Company to implement their proposal.

Ford Motor Company’s Conservation and Environmental Grants program has become an annual event in Asia Pacific. Since its inception over ten years ago, the Asia Pacific chapter of the grants program has supported multiple organisations with significant fund injections awarded to winning projects.

“This program is one of many initiatives that Ford carries out to care for the environment and contribute to a better quality of life,” said David Westerman, Regional Manager, Ford Export & Growth Operations. “Environmental conservation, protection and education are an integral part of our business, both in product development and the execution of our community efforts.”

The Sri Lanka program was announced in late 2011 and in response to a series of press advertisements, Future Automobiles – Ford’s authorised dealership in Sri Lanka – received an impressive 53 applications. These represented proposals from NGOs, student groups, academics, environmentalists and corporate bodies. After a careful study of all proposals, four where selected within the following categories.

• Conservation Engineering
• Protection of the Natural Environment
• Environmental Education

The four finalists’ proposals aimed to benefit projects on greener fuel production and usage, the conservation of ecosystems, developing environmental crop areas where wild elephants can habituate, as well as forest fire prevention and minimisation.

The program has received support from various government and private organisations dedicated to environmental protection. The jury panel, comprised of experts in different areas of conservation and not related in any way to Ford Motor Company, selected winners from any of the categories in accordance with the following judging criteria:

• Usefulness and practicality
• Dedication
• Financial Need
• Originality
• Replicability

The members of the jury panel included:

• Jagath Gunawardena – A prominent environmentalist in Sri Lanka and the leading environmental attorney. He possesses a wealth of knowledge in fauna and flora, conservation and is often a visiting lecturer on environmental issues.
• Sunil Udukala – Assistant Director, Central Environmental Authority of Sri Lanka. (The government body for environment and related areas).
• Suraj Fernando – Director, Softlogic Holdings Plc / Future Automobiles (Pvt) Ltd.
• Moderator – Sujeeva Premaratne – COO, Future Automobiles

2012 finalist projects:

Project Titles

• Prevent Forest Fires in the Knuckles Range Benefiting Ecosystems
• Electric Hybrid Bus Project
• Conserving the Ecosystems Maha Oya and Associated Coastal Wetlands in Sri Lanka
• Develop and Establish Model Chena Plots to minimise Human Elephant Conflict

After heavy scrutiny by the judges, the recommended winning proposal and recipient of a donation worth up to $10,000 was Preventing the Forest Fires in the Knuckles Range project.

Green Technology  

As a company, Ford runs several environmental initiatives under its Green Technology umbrella. The company is constantly developing multiple technologies to find affordable solutions that create products with greater efficiency.  

EcoBoost is a great example of Ford’s groundbreaking green technology in action. The EcoBoost engines combine direct petrol injection and turbocharging in smaller-displacement engines to give customers outstanding fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions.

Westerman noted that Ford is continually working to improve the efficiency of its products and processes, using less energy, water and other resources. “As a result of these efforts, our customers get cars with better fuel economy, safety and quality. In addition, by increasing the use of recycled or renewable content in our vehicles whenever possible, Ford is helping reduce waste sent to landfills by millions of pounds,” concluded Westerman.