Ford joins 8 other automakers to sue the State of California over the state’s popular law to reduce automotive greenhouse gas emissions. RAN places an ‘Open Letter to Bill Ford Jr.’ in a New York Times ad, and the Jumpstart Ford campaign publishes full-page color ads showing a fleet of flag-draped Ford SUVs illustrating who pays the ultimate price for Ford’s oil addiction.
December 2004
November 2004
Activists in the US, Canada and the UK hold an international “Day of Intervention” against Ford’s oil addiction at over 40 Ford dealerships.
October 2004
The Jumpstart Ford Coalition and Energy Action partner to present the Declaration of Independence from Dirty Energy to Ford’s corporate headquarters in Dearborn.
Click here to learn more about Energy Action.
September 2004
Ford Motor Company, moving ahead with plans to crush its zero-emission Electric Vehicles (EVs), is stopped by concerned citizens around the world. The Jumpstart Ford campaign teams with Greenpeace Norway and EV advocates in a weeklong campaign that convinces Ford to halt the crushing of the super-efficient Th!nk City EVs. Ford eventually agrees to resell the remaining EVs in Norway, where the Th!nks were originally manufactured. However, Ford misses an opportunity to reevaluate and restart its EV program. Click here to learn more.
Leading environmental and human rights groups, including Bluewater Network, Ecopledge, Free the Planet, Global Exchange, Rainforest Action Network and U.S. Public Interest Research Group hold rallies at Ford’s hybrid Escape SUV publicity tour stops. Activists urge Ford to “Escape All Gas Guzzlers.”
August 2004
Ford begins delivering the long-promised hybrid version of its Escape SUV. GX, RAN, Bluewater Network, US PIRG, Ecopledge and Green Century Capital management organize a joint press conference criticizing Ford for only manufacturing 20,000 hybrids, less than 1% of Ford’s overall fleet of 7 million vehicles.
July 2004
The Declaration of Independence from Oil garners over 1500 signatories demanding that Ford Motor Company end the tyranny of oil. The Jumpstart Ford campaign places poster advertisements in seven cities.
June 2004
The EPA ranks Ford as having the worst fuel efficiency of America’s top automakers for the fifth straight year.
The Jumpstart Ford coalition teams up with RAN’s Global Finance campaign, Moveon.org, NRDC, the Sierra Club, USPIRG, Bluewater Network and others to bring “The Day After Tomorrow” moviegoers into the reality of catastrophic global climate change.
May 2004
RAN and GX attend Ford annual shareholders meeting in Louisville while dozens of activists protest outside. This demonstration holds Ford responsible for casualties in Iraq and human rights catastrophes in oil-producing regions, and announces a new campaign initiative branding Ford as ‘America’s Oil Addict’. A new ad campaign is launched describing Ford’s downward spiral into gas guzzling oil addiction.
February 2004
The Pentagon describes global climate change as a threat to U.S. national security.
January 2004
Los Angeles Auto Show attendees are greeted with a giant banner reading: “Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil”. The Jumpstart Ford coalition is joined by CodePink, the LA Bus Riders Union, and dozens of hybrid vehicles in a rally outside the convention center.
A study in the scientific journal Nature shows that 37% of species on earth will be threatened with extinction due to global warming, including 85% of tree and plant species in the Amazon rainforest.
