Dandelions have earned themselves a bad reputation over years - especially among homeowners who struggle to maintain the perfect lush, green lawn. To Ford, though, the common weed is hailed as an increasingly valuable resource.

Ground-breaking research has proven the milky-white substance contained in dandelion root can be used to make a plant-based rubber. For Ford, this has potential to take the form of cup holders, door mats, and interior trim, among other things.

"We're always looking for new sustainable materials to use in our vehicles that have either a smaller carbon footprint to produce and can be grown locally. Synthetic rubber is not a sustainable resource, so we want to minimize its use in our vehicle when possible," says Angela Harris, Research Engineer, Ford. "Dandelions have the potential to serve as a great natural alternative to synthetic rubber in our products."¹

Pearson Ford would like to note that Ford is only interested in a particular variety of dandelion, which the Ohio State University (OSU) agricultural research center is using - namely the Russian dandelion (a.k.a. taraxacum kok-saghyz or TKS).

Nevertheless, it's still pretty weird to see the pictures of perfectly manicured rows of dandelions growing in green houses. Residents living nearby the OSU green houses are likely suspect, wondering when the dandelions will take over their lawns. They can, however, rest assured. According to Associate Director, Bill Ravlin, "Managing weed problems is essential to developing TKS as a commercially viable domestic source of natural rubber in the U.S."²

Interested in learning more about Ford's environmental initiatives? Stay tuned. Pearson Ford, located at 10650 North Michigan Road in Zionsville, IN is dedicated to keeping you informed.

Source: ^1.2 http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/05/eco-weeds-ford-ohio-st-try-dandelions-as-rubber-source/1