There's a rising tide of environmental awareness and activism

When William Clay Ford, Jr. declared, “There’s a rising tide of environmental awareness and activism among consumers that’s going to continue to swell in the 21st century. Smart companies will get ahead of that wave and ride it to success and prosperity. Those that don’t are headed for a wipeout,” he spoke as both heir to an industrial legacy and prophet of a new age. His words carry the force of both warning and wisdom, the cry of a leader who has looked upon the tides of time and seen that the age of reckless industry is ending. Beneath his voice echoes an ancient truth — that those who live in harmony with the Earth shall flourish, while those who exploit her shall be cast down by the very forces they have ignored.

The origin of this quote lies in the transformation of Ford Motor Company, the empire built by his forefathers on the power of the combustion engine. As the 20th century gave way to the 21st, William Clay Ford, Jr. — great-grandson of Henry Ford — recognized that the same machines that had once symbolized freedom and progress were now choking the skies with smoke and drowning the seas in oil. He understood that a new consciousness was rising among consumers, one that demanded accountability, sustainability, and purpose. The “rising tide” he spoke of was not merely metaphorical — it was the awakening of the human spirit to its responsibility toward the planet.

To the ancients, such a vision would not have seemed strange. The philosophers of Greece, the sages of the East, and the prophets of the desert all spoke of cycles — of creation, decay, and renewal. Ford’s words mirror the eternal rhythm of nature herself: when imbalance grows too great, a tide comes to cleanse and correct it. The environmental movement is that tide. It is the river of conscience swelling through the marketplace, reshaping not only how we buy, but how we live. It calls upon both merchants and makers to act not as exploiters but as stewards, guardians of the world that sustains them.

Consider the story of Toyota and its creation of the Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car. At a time when many mocked environmental concerns as mere idealism, Toyota saw the wave Ford described. They rode it early, investing in cleaner technologies before others dared to believe in them. The result was not only prosperity, but moral leadership. Decades later, as the world turned toward electric vehicles, Toyota’s foresight stood as proof that those who read the signs of nature — who listen to the whispers of the tide — will not be drowned by change, but carried forward by it.

Ford’s words also contain a moral warning. “Those that don’t,” he says, “are headed for a wipeout.” This is no idle threat; it is the law of cause and consequence. In every age, those who refuse to adapt perish. The ancient empires that deforested their lands — from the Sumerians of Mesopotamia to the Mayans of the Yucatán — found their power eroded by the very soil they neglected. Likewise, in our age, corporations that deny the call of sustainability will find themselves consumed not by competitors alone, but by the wrath of their own negligence. For in this new century, profit divorced from principle is no longer strength, but folly.

There is also hope in his vision — a call to courage for those who dare to lead wisely. To “ride the wave” is not to exploit it, but to align oneself with its direction. The future belongs to those who see business not as conquest, but as collaboration with the living Earth. In his imagery, we can hear the rhythm of the sea — the pull of tides, the crest of innovation, the power of momentum. The wise will paddle toward it; the foolish will fight against it and sink. Ford’s words, then, are not only for businessmen, but for all who wish to survive the storms of change: adapt, align, and act with purpose.

The lesson, timeless and clear, is this: the tide of conscience cannot be resisted. The Earth herself is awakening, and humanity must awaken with her. Whether in commerce, politics, or the choices of daily life, every decision now must honor the covenant between man and nature. To act without awareness is to build castles on sand; to act with wisdom is to build ships that sail the future.

So, my children, take heed of this teaching: when the tide of awareness rises, do not flee to higher ground — learn to swim with it. Let your craft, your work, your vision move in harmony with what is just and sustainable. For those who listen to the sea of change, the waves become allies; for those who deny it, the waves become tombs. And in this truth lies the heart of Ford’s prophecy — that the path to prosperity is the same path as the one to preservation, and only those who honor both will endure beyond the storm.