GM Grand Rapids Operations Earns Wildlife Habitat Certification
WYOMING, Mich., November 12, 2014 /3BL Media/ – General Motors’ Grand Rapids Operations has been recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council for enhancing biodiversity at the facility and engaging community partners to promote wildlife conservation and education. The plant received a Corporate Lands for Learning certification for educating students at local schools on watershed habitats and environmental stewardship.
The Wildlife Habitat Council’s Corporate Lands for Learning certification program recognizes outstanding environmental education efforts that offer hands-on learning opportunities by using habitats located on corporate lands to teach ecological concepts and the human role in conservation.
Grand Rapids Operations and the school system it supports are located within the Plaster Creek Watershed, which occupies approximately 58 square miles in the metropolitan Grand Rapids area. Grand Rapids Operations volunteers use the watershed to educate students in the Lee-Godfrey School District by demonstrating the importance of protecting watershed health.
The Plaster Creek Watershed is interconnected with Plaster Creek itself, a habitat that includes fish, plants and other indigenous aquatic life. Plaster Creek does not meet the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Quality Standards because of pollutants. Protection of this watershed is vital to its health, and educating the public about Plaster Creek helps to restore it.
“Our habitat program provides significant benefits to the environment and the dedicated employees who manage it,” said Annette Wendland, environmental engineer at Grand Rapids Operations. “It also serves as an outdoor classroom to educate youth and the community on the importance of conservation.”
Grand Rapids Operations is one of 40 GM facilities around the world with conservation programs certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. GM has more certifications than any automaker and has committed to creating and securing wildlife habitat certifications or equivalent at each of its manufacturing sites globally by 2020.
The company actively manages nearly 5,000 acres of wildlife habitat globally, representing 22 percent of the certified sites’ overall footprint.
Additionally, employees from Grand Rapids Operations partner with the West Michigan Environmental Action Council to administer the Teach for Watershed (T4W) program. T4W teaches students how to assess water quality. Grand Rapids operations also recently achieved landfill-free status.
For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.
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, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. 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.
About the Wildlife Habitat Council
Formed in 1988, the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and education. WHC’s programs take corporate sustainability goals and objectives and translate them into tangible and measurable on-the-ground action. Through a focus on building collaboration for conservation with corporate employees, other conservation organizations, government agencies and community members, WHC programs focus on healthy ecosystems and connected communities. WHC-assisted wildlife habitat and conservation education programs are found in 44 states, the District of Columbia and 12 other countries. To learn more, visit www.wildlifehc.org.
