•  Innovation Park, Ford’s sustainable display from the 2015 North American International Auto Show, lives on to benefit local organizations
• Ford donates elements of the display to Detroit’s Belle Isle Park and to North Star Reach, a nonprofit organization that provides a year-round camp for children with serious and life-threatening illnesses
• Donations support Ford commitment to waste reduction and green building efforts

DETROIT, March 2, 2015 – Ford is donating its Innovation Park feature exhibit from the 2015 North American International Auto Show to two Southeast Michigan organizations, demonstrating the company’s commitment to sustainability.

The Innovation Park section of the Ford show stand incorporated water and plant elements to illustrate advances Ford researchers are making to use organic materials and reduce waste, carbon dioxide emissions and water usage. The display showcased materials like soybeans, which Ford uses in vehicle interiors, saving an estimated 5 million pounds of petroleum annually.

Visitors became part of the action through overhead cameras that swooped around the display to capture images and video that appeared on LED screens surrounding the park. (Visit http://fordindetroit.com/innovation/ for more information about Innovation Park and to see the images captured.)

Plants, trees and flowers from the display – including iconic North American foliage such as white fir and white pine – are being relocated to greenhouses at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park, in coordination with the Detroit Recreation department.

Forty sections of concrete that formed the foundation of Innovation Park are being donated to North Star Reach, a nonprofit organization that provides a year-round camp in Pinckney, Michigan, for children with serious and life-threatening illnesses. The six-foot by two-foot concrete slabs will create a central gathering area overlooking Patterson Lake, where children and their families can enjoy campfires.

“We are thrilled to bring the Park home to North Star Reach for our campers and families to enjoy for generations to come,” said North Star Reach founder and CEO Doug Armstrong. “Our construction team is ensuring the Park will be installed to be universally accessible for all campers.”

The donations support Ford’s commitment to sustainability, which includes a focus on water and waste reduction and green building efforts. Learn more about Ford’s Blueprint for Sustainability here: http://corporate.ford.com/microsites/sustainability-report-2013-14/default.html.