Some Ford customers are lashing out at the automaker for becoming green around the edges. Stan Meager, a 59-year-old fruit grower in Oregon’s Klamath Basin region has been a “Ford man” his whole life. But after Ford announced a $5 million grant to the National Audubon Society, Meager emailed the company, “You are supplying my enemies with the means to destroy my home and way of life. I will no longer buy a Ford product of any kind, not even a spark plug.” Some farmers, ranchers, loggers, and motorcyclists feel the same way. Talk of the company’s environmental donations has filled the airwaves in Montana, and conservative political groups are helping to stoke the flames. The Ford Motor Company Fund gave away $14.1 million in environmental grants last year, up from $4.2 million in 1999.
