Ford pledges US$15,000 for environmental conservation

The Ford Motor Company has pledged US$15,000 to its 2012 Conservation and Environmental Grants Program in Sri Lanka. Marking the program’s tenth year in Southeast Asia and second consecutive year in Sri Lanka, the grant will be made available to deserving local projects dedicated to environmental protection.

Ford Motor Company and dealership partner, Future Automobiles (Pvt) Ltd., are calling on all individuals, community and non-profit groups with projects in the areas of natural environment preservation, environmental education and conservation engineering to submit their proposals by 30th November 2012. Ford and Future Automobiles (Pvt) Ltd. will announce the grant winner at a press conference in late December.

“We look forward to receiving more proposal submissions this year from many organizations and individuals in Sri Lanka that are committed to conservation,” said Sujeeva Premaratne, Chief Operating Officer, Future Automobiles (Pvt) Ltd., “Last year, the program received an impressive 53 applicants, including proposals from local NGOs, student groups, academics, environmentalists and corporate entities.”

The call for submissions starts today. All proposals should reach the organizers by 30th November 2012 and must be made on the official application form with details on the specific project and required funding.

The application forms can be downloaded from www.softlogic.lk and to be sent to Future Automobiles (Pvt) Ltd, 525, Union Place, Colombo 2. As in previous years, an appointed jury panel, comprised of independent experts in different areas of conservation, will select winners based on the following criteria: Usefulness and practicality, Dedication, Financial need, Originality and Potential to replicate the program

Judges will also rate applications based on if they demonstrate a welldefined sense of purpose and a commitment to maximizing available resources.

Last year, Ford Motor Company selected the Fire Prevention in Knuckles Forest Reserve project as the winning entry in its Conservation and Environmental Grants program in Sri Lanka. The project received US$10,000 for prevention measures to minimize the damage caused by forest fires in the southern border of the Knuckles Forest Reserve in the central highlands of Sri Lanka.

Since launching the global grants program more than ten years ago, Ford has awarded more than US$2 million in grants to hundreds of environmental projects in Asia Pacific, the Caribbean, Central America, the Middle East and Puerto Rico.

In Asia Pacific alone, Ford has played a pivotal role in advancing more than 60 environmental initiatives and Ford’s Conservation and Environmental Grants program has become an annual event in select markets within Export & Growth’s Asia Pacific region.

“This program is one of the many ways Ford goes further to preserve the environment and improve its communities’ quality of life,”said David Westerman, Regional Manager, Asia Pacific, Ford Export & Growth Operations, “Environmental conservation, protection and education are integral to what we do, both as product innovators and members of the communities we do business in.”