It\’s Getting Hot In Here

Surprise revelation coincides with NAIAS debut of gas-guzzling Ford Interceptor

DETROIT – Celebrated Muppet Kermit the Frog will visit the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) to speak candidly and regretfully about his role the past year as a spokesperson for Ford Motor Company. Referring to his work in commercials for Ford’s Escape Hybrid, Kermit hopes to tell CEO Alan Mullaly, “it’s easy pretending to be green, but we need Ford to do more than fake it.”

As a supposed expert on all things green, Kermit’s decision in early 2006 to represent Ford – the most oil addicted automaker in the world – took many by surprise. The Environmental Protection Agency has ranked Ford near the bottom in fuel efficiency for several straight years, and a July 2006 Forbes Magazine report on the world’s least environmentally sustainable cars listed five Ford models among its seven worst vehicles. Last June, Ford reneged on a nine-month-old promise to build 250,000 hybrids by 2010, drawing the ire of environmental and human rights groups across the country.

“It’s time for Ford to stop exploiting a helpless Muppet and actually make some bold moves of its own. Ford needs to commit to a road of recovery that will see it lead the industry in fuel economy and save its’ and our future in the process”, said Freedom from Oil Director Mike Hudema with the human rights group Global Exchange. “A real fuel economy commitment from Ford would see it reap over $1.4 billion in profits per year – that my ‘green’ friend is a bold move.”

“Kermit the Frog has been a trusted friend to generations of children around the world, so his touting of Ford as an environmentally responsible company came as a huge shock,” said Sarah Connolly, a campaign director for Rainforest Action Network. “It is telling that Kermit’s newfound understanding that it takes more than disingenuous advertising to be an environmental leader coincides with Ford’s latest attempt at greenwash – the release of the flexible-fuel enabled Interceptor. I guess this frog is aware that only 1% of America’s six million flex-fuel vehicles actually run on alternative fuels. Ford won’t truly be green until it makes real commitments to improving overall fuel economy and building ultra-fuel-efficient vehicles.”

Kermit’s change of heart coincided with the NAIAS debut of the Ford Interceptor, a concept muscle car following in the Ford tradition of large, gas-guzzling vehicles. From compact cars to SUV’s, Ford’s current line-up gets fewer miles per gallon, on average, than the Model-T did more than 80 years ago, and the company has failed to set any concrete targets to improve its bottom-of-the-barrel fuel efficiency.

Launched in 2003 as the Jumpstart Ford Campaign by Rainforest Action Network, Global Exchange and the Ruckus Society, the renamed Freedom from Oil Campaign is working to end America’s oil dependence, reduce oil related conflicts, and stop global climate change by convincing the entire auto industry to dramatically improve fuel efficiency and eliminate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. The campaign is pushing automakers to break their addiction to oil, create more jobs, and meet consumer demand for green cars by producing more fuel efficient vehicles.

For more information, visit www.freedomfromoil.org.

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