One of the ways people used to get in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit was to wear something green (or else risk getting pinched), but we think that modern-day St. Patrick’s Day can be all about going green in more creative and innovative ways! There’s green facepaint, bagels and drinks, and there’s also Chicago’s annual dyeing of the Chicago River, the green-lit Empire State Building and the White House’s colored fountain water. Things are getting even more extreme in 2013, with the Pyramids of Giza and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janerio turning green for the first time in history. Going green has truly gone global.

Driving green has also gone global at Ford with building materials in Ford vehicles, such as soybeans, castor oil and wheat straw making up some of the items on the sustainable-materials list that help reduce weight and make for better fuel efficiency. Soy-based foam can also be found in the seat material, while climate-control gaskets are made from recycled tires. Plastic bottles are at the heart of carpet, while wood fibers are within some cloth. Recycled yarns, hemp, plastics derived from sugars and even old blue jeans are clever, cutting-edge ways Ford has taken green design and engineering to the next level.

St. Patrick’s Day and all its greenery may be only one day each year according to the calendar, but at Ford, it’s always green day!

Tell us about how you will you go green!