General Motors Corporate Responsibility Newsletter - April 2014
General Motors Corporate Responsibility Newsletter
April 2014
GM First LEED Gold Automotive Plant in South America
General Motors’ engine plant in Joinville, Brazil has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first automotive plant in South America to become LEED Gold certified, the result of investments in sustainability when construction began two years ago.
WASTE REDUCTION
GM Recognized for Driving a Global Movement for Zero Waste
GM received the Top Project of the Year Award in the Environmental Leader Product and Project Awards for driving a global movement for zero waste. The annual competition, presided over by a panel of independent judges, seeks corporate projects that improve environmental management and increase the bottom line.
GM’s Metal Pallets Become Scaffolding in their Second Life
GM teams always strive to reuse more than they recycle because it uses less energy. The team at the company’s landfill-free Talegaon India operations is now selling its sturdy metal pallets to a company that modifies them and turns them into construction scaffolding equipment.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
GM Earns another Building Certification for Energy Management
Our San Luis Potosi Complex in Mexico is the first GM plant in North America and the only vehicle manufacturing plant in the country to receive 50001 certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). We now have seven such certifications throughout our facilities in Europe, Asia and South America.
RESOURCE PRESERVATION
Engine Facility Helps Drive GM Environmental Performance
In this profile of GM’s Tonawanda Engine complex in New York., facility manager Tom Mayer explains efforts to conserve water, reduce waste and preserve habitats throughout the operation.
At The Nexus of Energy and Water
This year's World Water Day examined the link between energy and water, two resources that play an important role in the green economy. To commemorate the UN observance, GM shares energy and water conservation best practices that allow the company to improve efficiency while lessening environmental impact.
GREENER VEHICLES
New Modular Ecotec Engines are More Adaptable, Efficient
A new generation of Ecotec small-displacement engines streamlines General Motors’ global powertrain portfolio with a modular architecture that broadens its adaptability to global markets and reduces manufacturing complexity – while offering customers efficiency, refinement and durability.
Taking Electrified Luxury to New Heights
OnStar application developer Rebecca Roth discusses her latest innovation, Mountain Advisor, an app designed to help Cadillac ELR drivers maximize electric range in high altitudes. The app advises users when to use the ELR’s special Mountain drive mode, which pre-charges the battery in response to upcoming hilly terrain.
SAFETY
Chevrolet Malibu Earns IIHS 2014 Top Safety Pick+ Rating
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety today named the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu with available Forward Collision Alert a Top Safety Pick+. The distinction requires cars to receive high marks in crash worthiness and achieve a basic, advanced or superior rating for frontal crash prevention.
PHILANTHROPY
GM Foundation Donates More than $1.45 Million to Aid Habitat for Humanity
The General Motors Foundation is donating more than $1.45 million to Habitat for Humanity to fund at least 10 new-home builds and 15 neighborhood revitalization projects across the United States, as well as a special veterans’ program in partnership with up to 50 Habitat affiliates.
Auction of First 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to Benefit Karmanos Cancer Institute
The first retail production 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the most track-capable Corvette in the brand’s history, will be auctioned to benefit the Karmanos Cancer Institute. The Barrett-Jackson auction house will offer the supercar during its Collector Car Auction in Palm Beach, Fla., on April 12.
