Awards, Ratings & Rankings

GM Plants Recognized for Great Lakes Stewardship

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality honors seven GM facilities
Oct 2, 2014 1:20 PM ET
Campaign: GM Resource Preservation
Employees from General Motors’ Orion Assembly plant and a community partner from the Clinton River Watershed Council accept an award from the Department of Environmental Quality during a ceremony at Lansing Delta Township Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014. Orion Assembly is one of seven facilities recognized as a Neighborhood Environmental Partner. (From L to R) Robert Fenn, senior environmental project engineer; Adam Lassen, manufacturing engineering director; Rachel Gribas, environmental engineer; Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant; Clinton River Watershed Council Program Director Michele Arquette-Palermo; and Nicole Ball, GM environmental engineer co-op student at Orion.

LANSING, Mich., October 2, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Seven General Motors facilities are being recognized by the State of Michigan for ongoing efforts to improve the environment and quality of life in their communities.

On Wednesday, nearly half of GM’s Michigan manufacturing plants received Neighborhood Environmental Partner awards from the state’s Department of Environmental Quality for individual sustainability efforts and environmental programs. GM leads all manufacturers in Neighborhood Environmental Partner awards with 44, more than a third of all Neighborhood Environmental Partner awards since the program began in 2005.

“We appreciate GM’s continued willingness to go above and beyond to conserve energy, recycle and reduce waste, and help preserve Michigan’s air, land and water resources,” said Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant. “These voluntary efforts are great examples of environmental stewardship.”

The recognized plants are Lansing Delta Township, Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, Orion Assembly,Warren Transmission, Flint Assembly, Romulus Powertrain Operations and Flint Metal Center.

These sites reduce their environmental impact through energy efficiency, resource preservation and waste reduction throughout their communities. For example:

  • All participated in the company-wide GM GREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network) program, an environmental education collaboration, now in its 25th year, that matches students with GM mentors and community organizations to help youth better understand their impact on local watersheds.
  • Four plants feature natural habitat certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council, developed to enhance and protect wildlife and educate communities on conservation.
  • Two plants are landfill-free, recycling, reusing or converting to energy all waste from daily operations.

“We are a part of every community in which we do business, and with that comes a responsibility to improve the environment we all share,” said David Tulauskas, GM director of sustainability. “We’ve made great progress toward reducing our environmental footprint at these facilities. Sharing our environmental knowledge and collaborating with local partners allows us to make a greater impact.”

Last year GM was recognized for participating in the program for five or more years. The company has received Neighborhood Environmental Partner awards for eight consecutive years.

To be eligible for the Neighborhood Environmental Partner award, an organization must be a designated Clean Corporate Citizen and Pollution Prevention Partnership facility. Recipients are compliant with all applicable state environmental regulations and improve their immediate environments and communities.

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.