In Dearborn, Michigan, a colony of about 80,000 honeybees helps pollinate one of the largest living roofs in America. The entire 454,000-square-foot roof of the Ford Rouge Complex is planted with Sedum -- a type of succulent that stores water efficiently in its leaves. These plants can hold up to an inch of rainwater, reducing runoff, and filtering any water that does run off the roof.

While the living roof supports the local watershed, the bees help the Sedum plants thrive. Helping the bees thrive is Mary Mason, a product design engineer for Ford, who became the company's unofficial beekeeper three years ago.

Mason explains that honeybee populations are in decline all over the world, thanks largely to the widespread application of pesticides. That's bad news, because bees pollinate about one-third of all crops in the United States, including apples, watermelon, cantaloupe, cherry, almonds, apricots, avocados, and mangos.

Without bees, those delicious foods will be much harder for farmers to raise.

What can an automaker do to help protect important wildlife species like bees? The evidence is in our new inventory at Camelback Ford. Come test drive vehicles made with eco-friendly materials, or try out models sporting fuel-efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.