BEIRUT, Lebanon: – Ford Motor Company has handed over an equal share of US$30,000 in grant money to two separate projects in Lebanon, as part of the 2018 its Conservation and Environmental Grants initiative. Arcenciel, based in Beirut, hopes to continue its Conservation Engineering assault on waste management systems in the country, while the Andre Nahhas Public High School for Girls plans to drive Environmental Education awareness off the coast of El Mina.

Conservation Engineering
A repeat-winner of a Ford grant, putting in a successful bid for the fifth time, Lebanon’s Arcenciel will this year invest its US$15,000 in finalising its study on 11 strains of indigenous actinobacteria. The project’s main objective is to optimise the compost industry through the use of an innovative bacterial inoculum.

The result of the work completed by lead researching agronomist Abdo Tannoury and his team will allow Arcenciel to introduce a concept in composting engineering to local and international markets; a process that has never-before been scientifically developed, and one that takes into consideration the interaction of bath microbiota and used raw materials simultaneously.  

Environmental Education
It was a close contest between the top two projects in the Environmental Education category, where both Rehabilitation of Al Nakheel Island in El Mina by Andre Nahhas School in Lebanon, and the Halgurd-Sakran Park Project by Waterkeepers Iraq, each walked away with a US$15,000 bursary from Ford’s Conservation and Environmental Grants.

The former is specifically a project instigated by the Environment Club at Andre Nahhas Public High School for Girls, and it aims at restoring the ecological balance of Al Nakheel Island reserve off the coast of Tripoli in northern Lebanon. As well as bringing irrigation-suitable water, cleaning materials, and awareness boards to the island, the school will invest in palm seedlings, and fifty pairs of rabbits – plus feed for one year – bringing natural life back to the flat, rocky island of eroded limestone.

Apart from Lebanon, the latest recipients of Ford’s Conservation and Environmental Grants – awarded in the areas of Environmental Education, Natural Environment, and Conservation Engineering, with special categories including Best in Engaging Local Communities, and Beating Plastic Pollution – were successful applicants from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Morocco, with a total of US$101,500 made available.

“For nearly two decades, Ford Motor Company has been committed to conservation and sustainability in the region, with close to US$2 million granted to local environmental projects,” said Mark Ovenden, president of Ford Middle East and Africa. “Ford is very proud to empower individuals, and local organisations, who are dedicated to preserving the environmental well-being of their community. By providing necessary funding and visibility, Ford hopes to encourage the spread of similar grassroots efforts that will serve as catalysts for change across the globe.”

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Annually, entries are accepted from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen. In its 18 years of existence, the Ford Grants initiative has become one of the largest corporate initiatives of its kind in the region, created to empower individuals and non-profit groups that are donating their time and efforts to preserve the environmental well-being of their communities.

Since its inception, the Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants programme has received support and recognition from various governmental and non-governmental environmental authorities from around the Middle East, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Emirates Wildlife Society, and the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED).

Recipients are chosen by an independent panel of judges consisting of academics and leaders from regional environmental organisations. The judges are seasoned environmentalists or academicians from the region carefully selected based on geographical coverage, age and gender equality. They look for initiatives that demonstrate a well-defined sense of purpose, a commitment to maximising available resources, and a reputation for meeting objectives and delivering planned programmes and services.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 199,000 people worldwide.

For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.​​

Ford’s history in the Middle East goes back more than 60 years. The company’s local importer-dealers operate more than 155 facilities in the region and directly employ more than 7,000 people, the majority of whom are Arab Nationals. For more information on Ford Middle East, please visit
www.me.ford.com .

Ford Middle East is also a responsible corporate citizen with currently various CSR initiatives running in the region including the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants, Ford Warriors in Pink® breast cancer awareness campaign, Ford Driving Skills for Life for young drivers and the Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy education initiative for young entrepreneurs.

© Press Release 2019

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