Today, Ford is launching an energy-saving campaign that urges employees to change a light to help protect the environment. The campaign is Ford''s latest effort to look for innovative ways to maximize energy efficiency at its facilities. These efforts have earned the company several Energy Star ® awards.

Ford is encouraging individuals to swap inefficient light bulbs at home to those with the government''s Energy Star rating for energy efficiency as part of the national Energy Star Change a Light campaign – a partnership supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"Most people don''t realize their homes can influence greenhouse gas emissions," said Sue Cischke, vice president, Environmental and Safety Engineering. "We want to help them understand that taking small steps – like changing their light bulbs – can help reduce the impact of global climate change."

And that''s not all. Lighting accounts for 20 percent of the average home''s electric bill and is one of the easiest places to save energy. Energy Star qualified lighting provides bright, warm light that uses 2/3 less energy than standard lighting and lasts up to 10 times longer. Changing just five high-use light bulbs with those that have earned the Energy Star rating could save more than $60 a year in home energy costs.

Ford Earns Energy Star Awards

Earlier this year, Ford Motor Company earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency''s coveted Energy Star 2006 Partner of the Year award for energy management. Since 2000, Ford''s U.S. facilities have improved energy efficiency by 18 percent and reduced CO2 emissions by more than 15 percent. In 2005, these improvements resulted in $15.6 million in savings.

Four Ford assembly plants have also earned Energy Star awards for being in the top 25 percent nationally in energy efficiency. The winning plants – Norfolk, Chicago, Twin Cities and Kansas City – were evaluated using EPA plant energy performance indicators. EPA''s rating system enables companies to evaluate the energy efficiency of their plants relative to their industries and develop energy improvement goals and plans.

"Earning these prestigious Energy Star awards validates Ford''s belief that a sustainable, profitable business requires responsible use of environmental resources," said Cischke. "Our partnership with Energy Star has been instrumental in driving energy efficiency improvements throughout our company."

The most significant energy efficiency actions included installation of large-scale networked heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, air compressor controls and energy-efficient production tooling. Data-driven processes and automated systems further drove improvements at manufacturing, corporate, and research and engineering facilities.

Ford is reducing its impact on the environment through implementation of technologies such as geothermal cooling, landfill gas reclamation, converting paint fumes to fuel, hydroelectricity, wind and solar technology to power manufacturing plants in clean, sustainable ways. In the U.S., renewable, or "green," power supplies 5 percent of Ford''s energy needs.

Energy Star was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to offer business and consumers effective energy efficiency solutions for saving energy, money and the environment. Ford Motor Company became a registered Energy Star partner in 1998