Coast 2 Coast Mom

REPREVE Recycled Material in Ford Focus Electric Seating

While I attended the Ford sustainability press event, I had the opportunity to check out REPREVE, the eco-friendly fiber filling for the seats in the Focus Electric. This is the first use of REPREVE in the auto industry, but you've likely seen or used REPREVE material in other products, including the North Face Denali jacket, and bags on BlueAvocado.

REPREVE is a polyester fiber blend of recycled materials - mostly plastic drink bottles and post-industrial waste, and is manufactured by Unifi, Inc. based in greensboro, N.C. By switching to use REPREVE fiber in the seats, each new Focus Electric will keep about 22 plastic bottles out of landfills.

According to Carol Kordich, lead designer of Sustainable Materials for Ford, “Not only does the use of this fabric in Focus Electric help reduce waste, it also helps to offset the need to produce new raw material from crude oil – a process that consumes precious energy and natural resources.”

Almost three years ago, Ford mandated that fabric suppliers use a minimum of 25 percent recycled content for all 2009 and beyond model year vehicles. They've upped their game by mandating that fabric be 100 percent sustainable in vehicles with eco-conscious powertrains like Focus Electric.

I love seeing more and more innovative environmentally-friendly products working their way back to consumers. :-)

 

 

Ford Focus Electric and SHFT Sustainability Partnership With Adrien Grenier

Last month I attended a Ford sustainability event to preview the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, and learn more about their partnership with SHFT.com, a multimedia company founded by actor and filmmaker Adrian Grenier and film producer Peter Glatzer.  Ford Motor Company and SHFT are collaborating to help inspire people to make smarter environmental lifestyle decisions.

If you haven't heard of SHFT.com before, I urge you to take a look at some of the things they're shining a light on. If nothing else, it may just inspire you to be more mindful of the decisions you make day to day. But let's get back to my experience at the event. . .

TiVo "Rewarding" Recording with Toys for Tots Donation Campaign

I'm excited to share that your TiVo DVR will soon be "rewarding" your recording with an oh-so-easy way to be charitable this Christmas! TiVo will make a $1 donation to Toys for Tots for each individual recording of It's A Wonderful Life airing on NBC on Saturday, December 24th at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. It's A Wonderful Life was the most "TiVo'ed" holiday movie last year.

Just as “every time a bell rings, an angel gets their wings,” this holiday season every time a TiVo® DVR “Badoops,” a child in need is closer to receiving a new toy. . . .

Guess this means we'll be responsible for a $4 donation via TiVo this year. ;-) We'll have to set it before we head to the grandparents. Now if only they'd reward my GetGlue check-ins. ;-)

While you have TiVo on the brain, check out their holiday singing TiVograms. . . kinda cute! I already sent one to @c2cdad.

12 Days of Change ONE.org Campaign - Day 8 May Linger

I'm excited to write about our experience participating in the ONE.org campaign "12 Days of Change." My friend SelfishMom and ONE.org have enlisted a dozen mom bloggers to try one of 12 ways to help better the world by starting in our own communities and families. I hope this inspires someone to try one of these ideas to help make a difference - without spending a dime. . .

So what did I choose to do to support ONE.org in building awareness and bettering the world?

After dinner, turn off all electronics for one night and enjoy an evening with your family.

That's it.

Simple enough, right? Those of you who know me in person know that this was actually a pretty significant sacrifice for our family. I can't remember the last time we watched a movie as a family and didn't also have our smartphones, tablets and laptops nearby to quickly look up a point of trivia, investigate a reference, or something along those lines.

The Coast-to-Coast Adventures of Flat Harrison - Got Milk?

If you've been following our coast to coast roadtrip the last couple of weeks, then you know we picked up an additional passenger on our way home from BlogHer '11 in San Diego. A life-sized celebrity cut-out of Harrison Ford from the Got Milk campaign, we dubbed him "Flat Harrison," (#flatharrison) and drove him back to New York City in the Ford Flex for my friend SelfishMom. We had a blast with an extra guest along for the return trip!

The top three questions we were asked along the way:

3. WHY do you have a Harrison Ford cut-out?

2. What is your friend going to do with him once you get him to NYC?

1. May I get a photo with him?? (Seriously - at least one person now has a pic with Flat Harrison as her new Facebook profile photo!)

Here's a montage of #FlatHarrison's travels as we made our way from the west coast to the east coast. . .

Ford Warriors in Pink supporting Komen Race for the Cure for the 17th Year

2011 marks the 17th year that Ford has been supporting Komen Race for the Cure through the Warriors in Pink program. To date, Ford has dedicated more than $110 million to help promote breast cancer awareness, increase early breast cancer detection and help find a cure. The Warriors in Pink program is one way they raise funds, partially through the branded line of apparel (for women, men and even tots!) and accessories (scarves, ties, hats and mugs, etc.), for which - get this - 100% of the net proceeds for each item goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure! I love it!!

I checked out the newest line of Warriors in Pink store items last week and have a few of the items that caught my eye:

 

Talking Water Safety with Olympian Swimmer Aaron Peirsol and Auro-Dri

Yesterday the Kiddo and I were invited by Auro-Dri swimmers' ear solution, to spend the day poolside atop the Empire Hotel in NYC with five-time Gold Medalist swimmer Aaron Peirsol. They didn't need to ask twice. ;-) We were ever so grateful for the opportunity to cool off poolside during the sweltering 95 degree heat wave, and also to swim and chat with such an accomplished athlete as Aaron, who still holds the world record for the backstroke. The Kiddo was excited to meet the world record holder in the backstroke and took to him like glue.

 

Support Go Red For Women during National CPR Week

National CPR Week begins today June 1-7, and it's a great time to review, learn or get certified in CPR in support of women's heart health and the Go Red for Women campaign. I recently learned that four out of five out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home - which means that the life you could save with CPR is most likely that of someone you know or love. However, seven out of 10 Americans either do not know how to administer CPR or their training has significantly lapsed.

That means 70% of Americans may be left standing idly by when a friend, neighbor or loved one needs them most. Anyone can and should learn the life saving skill - who wants to be a bystander in their loved one's time of need? In support of National CPR Week, Go Red for Women is asking everyone to watch this one-minute Official Hands-Only CPR instructional video to learn how to save a life with CPR. Watch it, and pass it along to five of your loved ones. They just may pick up on enough CPR training to save your life one day.

  

Visit GoRedForWomen.org for more information and ways to support the women's heart health initiative.

Ford Teen Safe Driving Skills For Life Experience

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to experience Ford Motor Company Fund's Driving Skills for Life program for teens. The award winning program is a joint effort with the Governors Highway Safety Association and gives teens the opportunity to practice safe driving skills beyond what they learn in typical drivers education classes. They get the opportunity to safely - and in a controlled environment - test their hazard recognition, vehicle handling, speed and space management, and driver distraction skills. These four areas contribute to more than 60% of all teen crashes.

There may not be a better way to highlight May as National Youth Traffic Safety Month than sharing my experience with Ford's Driving Skills for Life program (a part of Ford's philanthropic efforts), which tackles the issue of teen driver safety by helping teens to make better, safer decisions behind the wheel. I spoke with Ford executives about their successes in reducing teen driving accidents in Illinois and in specific communities around the country who've previously experienced the tragic loss of teen lives. The numbers they discussed at the event were staggering:

5 Things You Can Do in the Car With Your Child to Raise A Safe Driver

I recently attended a Ford Teen Safe Driving event in NYC, where I learned how much of an impact parents have on their children's driving skills. Moreso than any other people, teens report that their driving role models are their parents, and that they learn their driving habits based on their experience in the car with their parents. In fact, Ford shared that in a recent survey:

• 95% of parents reported being safe drivers, yet 82% of teens surveyed said they have seen their parents be careless when driving and engage in risky driving behavior;
• 51% of parents admit their teens and tweens have asked them to slow down, stop talking or texting by hand, or practice other safe driving behaviors;
• More than 75% of tweens say they'll rely heavily on their parents' advice when they start to drive.

All of those hours spent in the car carpooling, running errands and roadtripping to relatives homes have given our children prime examples of what we consider to be acceptable driving habits. So it's important us to reassess our own driving habits even when the kids are still in carseats in the backseat. As I listened to the panel of Ford safety executives share stories and research on teen driving safety records, I came to the realization that I have to change my own driving habits (which I of course thought were pretty stellar ;-) ).