Environment

GM Earns Four More Wildlife Habitat Certifications

Automaker managing nearly 2,500 acres of wildlife habitat at facilities around the world
Nov 9, 2012 11:30 AM ET
Campaign: GM Resource Preservation
GM’s Spring Hill, Tenn. facility has earned Wildlife at WorkSM certification, recognizing its wildlife habitat and community education about conservation.

DETROIT, Nov. 9, 2012 /3BL Media/ – General Motors now manages nearly 2,500 acres of wildlife habitat across 25 of its global sites, four of which are newly certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. GM has more such certifications than any other automaker.

“Our natural resources have business value and we work to protect them,” said Mike Robinson, GM vice president of sustainability and global regulatory affairs. “These wildlife habitats also enable employees to take part in conservation efforts and help us strengthen our community ties.”

GM earned a Corporate Lands for LearningSM certification and three Wildlife at WorkSM certifications:  

  • Mogi das Cruzes in Brazil features a wildlife habitat spread across 4.3 hectares. As a Corporate Lands for Learning program, the team organizes an environmental week where employees have the opportunity to partake in outdoor activities and lectures on preserving nature, reusing materials, and saving water and energy. The site helps GM do Brazil be recognized by employees, partners and local community as a socially responsible company committed to environmental preservation and education.
  • Bowling Green (Ky.) Assembly — home of the Chevrolet Corvette — features a wildlife habitat spread across 75 acres, roughly the size of 83 football fields. Within the space are 42,000 pounds of ground-up ergonomic mats reused from inside the plant to form the foundation for a picnic area. Students planted sunflowers along the route, which also features blue bird boxes planted by a local Boy Scout troop. The team collaborates with environmental experts to best choose appropriate native species for the grounds.
  • Desert Proving Grounds - Yuma (Ariz.) manages projects that helped create the Sonoran Pollinator Habitat Enhancement program. The projects include relocating saguaro cacti to ensure a stable food source for pollinators and nesting for fowl; using water barrels to entice invasive Africanized bees to relocate to a safer area; and removing salt cedar trees consuming limited groundwater, while using the brush for small mammals’ habitats.
  • Drayton (Mich.) Warehouse transformed an unused parking lot and surrounding area into a 35-acre wildlife habitat, complete with rolling hills and a stormwater detention pond. The improvements help sustain the deer herd, expand the bird population and increase flora diversity. GM collaborated with the community, government and environmental organizations throughout the project.

GM is committed to increasing native biodiversity at its facilities and certifying each of its manufacturing sites where feasible by 2020. Whether it’s the Milford Proving Ground in Michigan reusing scrapChevrolet Volt battery covers for wood duck nesting boxes or CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll, Ontario planting thousands of trees with local students, GM’s habitat efforts benefit the environment while increasing community awareness around wildlife preservation.

The Wildlife Habitat Council’s program recognizes outstanding wildlife habitat management and environmental education efforts at corporate sites, and offers third-party validation of the benefits of such programs. Certification requirements require sites to apply for periodic renewal. Five additional GM facilities achieved Wildlife at Work recertification, having continued successful wildlife habitat management programs – Bay City (Mich.) Powertrain, Toledo (Ohio) Transmission, Spring Hill (Tenn.) Manufacturing, GM Powertrain Warren (Mich.) Transmission and Warren (Mich.) Technical Center.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets.  GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.