This October, a team of volunteers from Ford and other local organizations partnered with Living Lands and Waters to help with a cleanup of the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky.

One of Ford’s core values is to take care of the communitiesin which we operate, which includes helping conserve and protect vital natural resources so that we can all enjoy a cleaner, healthier future.

Over the course of the day, the group collected thousands of pounds of trash, including tires, plastic bottles – even giant metal cages. The amount of trash hidden along the river in the adjacent nature preserve was eye-opening for the volunteers, highlighting the work that needs to be done to keep our rivers clean and healthy.

“The environment is arguably the one thing we all share, regardless of where you come from, so it should be important to everyone.”

Isabel Long, Ford engineer and volunteer

The Ohio river beautification event was the first of many collaborations planned by Ford and Living Lands & Waters.

“It’s part of the fabric of who we are as a company, and the passion that we share for being good stewards of the environment,” said Gabby Bruno, Ford community relations director.

The Ford employees worked side-by-side with volunteers from Louisville’s Waterfront Park, TreesLouisville, and the local Chamber of Commerce, with guidance and support from Living Lands & Waters, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and restoration of America’s rivers.

“I grew up on a small farm,” said Dan Esch, Ford senior environmental engineer, “and my dad always said, ‘Leave the world better than you found it.’”

It's that same ethos that drives Ford's larger committment to communities.

“If we work together, we can all help make the world a little better, every day,” Bruno said. “That’s the road we’re on at Ford. The Road to Better.”