Published in Lakehead University’s Argus Student Newspaper November 15th, 2004

Imagine a vehicle powered by solar derived hydrogen, the tires are biological nutrients made of corn providing vitamin C and E to the natural world. The seats and interior are nutritious fabric and material. After a 5 year lease the vehicle and its molecules were intelligently and effectively taken apart and reassembled into new vehicles infinitely.
This vehicle is Ford’s Model U concept car, the first Cradle to Cradle vehicle. The designers call it the Model T of the 21st century.
Environmentalists will cheer because these vehicles create no carbon emissions therefore no global warming, they require no new metals because of closed loop cycles so mining is not required, they give nutrition to all surrounding life by giving positive emissions. The workers will cheer when these vehicles come back to the factory to be up – cycled creating constant employment. The business people will cheer because the vehicle constantly generates revenue every time a vehicle is leased, there are no regulation fees because there are no toxic emissions, there is no waste management because everything is valuable nutrients for the automotive industry. The entire process is powered by the solar hydrogen economy.
Ford began this transformation in 1999 and their largest factory in Dearborne, Michigan which I visited this past summer, now has the largest habitat roof in the world (12 acres), new wetlands, and a new young forest.
Globally, Ford has 67 square kilometres of roof space which will be replaced with habitat for local birds because the habitat roof in Dearborne saved the company $35 million.
Yes, Ford is still building gas-guzzling SUV’s but the transformation of working with nature on an industrial level has begun. Consider this: over 5000 companies supply Ford with materials. So if Ford changes they change.

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