While going green “came naturally for me,” what was “most interesting to note was how wasteful (my life was) before the actual (greening),” says Ma. Rosario “Cherry” Ramirez, assistant vice president (AVP) for corporate affairs of Ford Group Philippines (FGP). The wastes were in “the use of papers and plastics, for example, (which I used inconsiderately).”

Practicing what she was preaching, however, as FGP’s corporate affairs AVP, helping run the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts in the Philippines, “now I care – I see how, even in little things, such as in reusing, not just in recycling, paper, we can promote environmentalism (both at work and at home),” Ramirez says, adding with a smile that now, “instead of buying art papers for my daughter’s (assignment) artworks for school, we use pages from old magazines, instead.”

Going green, however, comes normal for FGP, since the company boasts of being green – this despite being an automotive industry giant, to begin with. After all, as William Clay Ford Jr., Ford Motor Company (FMC) chairman of the board, says, “FMC is dedicated to providing environmental solutions that will position us as a leader in the automotive industry of the 21st century. Our actions will demonstrate that we care about preserving the environment for future generations. We see no conflict between business goals and social and environmental needs. I believe the distinction between a good company and a great one is this: A good company delivers excellent products and services; a great one delivers excellent products and services and strives to make the world a better place."

Ramirez, a BS Computer Science graduate of the De La Salle University, has been with FGP since August 1999, when she worked for the company as AVP for sales planning and distribution (1999 to 2001), eventually becoming AVP for fleet business (2001 to 2002). While at FGP, Ramirez’s accomplishments include the establishment of the Ford Distribution System for CKD models (Lynx and Ranger) in 1999, a system still being implemented at present with all Ford models to allow weekly dealer pull-out plans, dealer daily delivery advises, and monthly production color and variant schedule; and the development and implementation in 2001 of the Ford Fleet Policy and Fleet Sales System for the FGP dealership network.

Currently, she is also in charge of corporate public relations and a number of corporate social responsibility programs of FGP, including the Road Safety Program, Henry Ford Journalism Awards, and the Ford Ecogrants, the company’s global initiative to help environmental and cultural preservation.

“It’s been a challenge to constantly find ways to make (going green) always interesting to people, to FGP employees, especially since to sustain green efforts, the people need to appreciate why they should be doing it,” Ramirez says.

“But it hasn’t been THAT hard, really, not only because it comes second nature to us (and we just need to be introduced to it), but also because it’s really the way to go.”

Greening can be done in small things, too, so that “they are merely practicing common sense, such as in eco-driving – don’t carry excess load, using momentum when driving, and keeping your maintenance updated,” she says. For FGP, it also means “recycling of metals from shipments for use as racks, using paint cans as trash cans, conserving water and electricity, or re-using papers,” among others. Simple approaches that “allow the saving of finances, while saving the environment.”

Ramirez says that in going green, “there’s a personal satisfaction of learning new things every day, especially since green practices are very practical, nagagamit talaga arawaraw (you can really use them day to day).”

Ramirez is married to Casey Ramirez, president of Strategic Synergy Inc., an IBM business partner; and they have one daughter, Catherine Marie.