FORD - Found On Road....recycleD?

So, a friend of mine was reading his copy of "My Ford," Fall 2008 issue, and he pointed out an article in the magazine that talked about the ability for vehicles to be recycled. Unsuccessfully having tried to find a copy of the magazine issue online to post for you all, I'll recap the highlights of the story.

Written by Claudia Duranceau, Senior Research Recycling Engineer at Ford, the article points out that 52% of paper and 45% of aluminum cans are recycled. Fairly decent, right? Though I agree we could do better. However, she sais that more than 95% of cars, trucks, vans, etc., are recycled at the end of their lives. Personally I found this amazing. We have incentives for paper and can recycling in place, and still our vehicles are much more likely to be recycled.

Value of the product is no doubt the culprit. Duranceau sais that 84% of a car's material, by weight, can be recycled, and that FORD is designing the newer vehicles to be easier to take apart, increasing the chances of recycling individual parts. FORD is also a part of the Vehicle Recycling Partnership, who's goal is to increase vehicle recycling in an environmentally friendly way.

Finally, the article showed a Ford Taurus, and what it was composed of. 65% steel, 20% plastics, 5% aluminum, 5% other metals, and 5% gas, fluid, etc. Though they didn't break down which of these were recyclable, one can assume most of the metals, and some of the plastics, could be recycled.

Certainly an interesting read!

Yellowstone Park feels the effect of climate change

Yellowstone National Park is one of the oldest National Parks in the United States. It is around 3,500 square miles of protected lands, beautiful scenery, and thriving ecosystems. Research suggests, however, that it is already feeling the effects of climate change.

Read Article Here

An interesting perspective...what are the effects of ecosystems with salamanders, frogs, and other sensitive organisms like in areas not protected by the park service? What don't we know about the critters in our backyard?

It's amazing how these small organisms, along with other critters like bugs, larvae, and plants, are capable of measuring the health of an entire watershed or region.