Ford Motor Company Donates $5 Million to Princeton University For Carbon Mitigation Initiative
25 October 2000
Ford Motor Company Donates $5 Million to Princeton University For Carbon Mitigation Initiative
NEW YORK, Oct. 25 Ford Motor Company is donating
$5 million to Princeton University's Environmental Institute for research on
carbon and greenhouse gas issues. The donation was announced today in a joint
media conference with representatives from Ford, Princeton and BP in
attendance.
Ford's donation will support a partnership initiated by BP and Princeton
University to better understand the effects of atmospheric greenhouse gases,
to propel technological advances toward alternative fuels and carbon
requisitioning. The study will span 10 years.
"I believe very strongly that corporations could be and should be a major
force for resolving environmental and social concerns in the 21st Century,
including climate change," said William Clay Ford Jr., Chairman, Ford Motor
Company. "This partnership is a proactive step towards realizing sustainable
transportation running on alternative fuels, preserving our natural resources,
and ensuring the future for the next generation."
The donation supports the investigation of capturing carbon emissions from
fossil fuels, establishing the best process for sequestering carbon in an
environmentally-conscious manner with limited adverse effects environmentally
and economically. The study also will evaluate the effects of these methods
on atmospheric carbon and the climate.
The Carbon Mitigation Initiative extends to the areas of geosciences,
environmental science, geology, ecology atmospheric and ocean science,
chemistry, and civil, mechanical and chemical engineering.
"To the extent that human activities are driving changes in global
climate, we are faced with an awesome responsibility. We must not only
develop a thorough understanding of these changes, but take bold action to
assure a safe and healthy environment for generations to come," said Princeton
University President Harold T. Shapiro. "The scope of this challenge demands
the full participation of universities, corporations and governments. That is
why I am particularly pleased that BP, Ford and Princeton are forming a
collaboration that harnesses our respective strengths."
This initiative is just one of many that Ford Motor Company is engaged in
to develop and further research alternative fuel powertrains, vehicles and
manufacturing processes. Ford launched the TH!NK brand in January 2000.
TH!NK products are zero-emissions and are designed to be the most recyclable
vehicles on the planet. This month, Ford began testing TH!NK City, a two-
person electric powered vehicle, in San Francisco.
Ford Motor Company has over 200 research programs ongoing at our research
laboratories in Dearborn, Michigan and Aachen, Germany. The atmospheric
chemistry department at Ford's Scientific Research Laboratory in Dearborn is a
world leader in the study of greenhouse gases. Earlier this year, the
atmospheric chemistry department in cooperation with the University of Anglia
in the UK, discovered and identified one of the most powerful greenhouse gases
yet detected (trifluoromethyl sulphurpentaflouride --SF5CF3). Ford's
involvement in this research continues, as well as the effects of this and
other greenhouse gases on the environment. The Carbon Mitigation Initiative
aligns with Ford's commitment to the environment and continued support of
corporate citizenship. For more information regarding Ford's environmental
initiatives, visit http://www.ford.com .