General Motors Corporate Responsibility Newsletter - May/June/July 2014
HEADLINE:
GM Outlines Efforts to Transform Transportation
Facing an automotive industry that is unsustainable in its current form, General Motors is restructuring its global vehicle portfolio, rethinking manufacturing and collaborating with unlikely partners to advance the industry. The company is working to transform transportation and describes its efforts in its latest sustainability report.
SAFETY
GM Creates Speak Up For Safety Program for Employees
General Motors is creating a Speak Up for Safety program to recognize employees for ideas that make vehicles safer, and for speaking up when they see something that could impact customer safety. The campaign is intended to remove perceived and real barriers to candid conversations between employees and their leaders as a step to foster a “safety first” culture.
Four GM Models Earn Top Spot for Front End Safety
General Motors earned half of the superior ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s rating program on front crash prevention. The Buick Regal, Cadillac CTS, Cadillac XTS and Chevrolet Impala are all considered industry leaders when purchased with GM’s available Front Automatic Braking system.
All-New GMC Canyon Brings Safety Firsts to Midsize Trucks
When the all-new 2015 GMC Canyon launches this fall, it will not only bring a full payload of midsize truck segment-leading capabilities, but segment safety firsts including a patent-pending child safety feature.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
GM Korea Design Center Receives LEED Gold Certification
The General Motors Korea Design Center has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first automotive facility in South Korea and GM’s seventh worldwide to achieve LEED certification.
GM Adds 3 Acres of Solar Arrays in Michigan
General Motors is increasing its renewable energy use with 3 acres of new solar arrays at two Michigan facilities.
Chevrolet Helps Fighting Illini Fight Carbon Emissions
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is earning funding for energy efficiency projects through Chevrolet carbon-reduction initiative.
Four GM Plants Repeat ENERGY STAR® Challenge
Four General Motors plants have met the ENERGY STAR® Challenge for Industry voluntary energy reduction challenge for a second time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced. In total, 63 GM plants across the globe have met the challenge – more than any other organization worldwide.
GM’s ‘Climate Declaration’ Speaks Louder than Words
In the year following the Climate Declaration signing, General Motors continues to prove there is economic opportunity in tackling climate change.
WASTE REDUCTION
GM Plant Helps Build Container Home Using Facility Scrap
GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant is collaborating with Detroit nonprofit Michigan Urban Farming Initiative to help build the city’s first occupied shipping container homestead. It will be constructed of 85 percent scrap materials donated by GM and built in part by employee volunteers.
NASCAR and Chevrolet Build Nesting Boxes from Volt Battery Covers
Leading up to the NASCAR race at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina in April, Chevrolet and GM showed off their product in a different way. Sustainability leaders from the company helped a group of 20 first grade students from a nearby school transform scrap Chevrolet Volt battery cases into wood duck nesting boxes.
RESOURCE PRESERVATION
GM Protects Watersheds with Students for 25 Years
GM this year celebrates a milestone anniversary of its signature watershed education program, GM Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN). For the 25th year, company employees will wade into waterways across the U.S. and Canada this spring and fall with about 9,000 students.
GM’s Biodiversity Manager Forges Own Path in Sustainability Career
Growing up with a healthy respect for the environment, Sue Kelsey is charged with helping GM turn stagnant land into thriving habitats at facilities across the globe.
GREENER VEHICLES
Chevrolet Volt Owners Surpass Half a Billion Electric Miles
Since its launch in late 2010, Chevrolet Volt owners have accumulated more than half a billion all-electric miles. Additionally, based on a General Motors’ study of more than 300 Volts in service in California for more than 30 months, many owners are exceeding the EPA-rated label of 35 miles of EV range per full charge, with about 15 percent surpassing 40 miles of range.
Chevrolet Debuts as a Top Global Green Brand
Chevrolet makes its debut on Interbrand's 2014 Best Global Green Brands report, ranking No. 32. The report, produced by the world's leading brand consultancy, Interbrand, measures market perception and actual environmental performance of a company and its products.
Energizing Employees, One Charging Station at a Time
GM has committed to increasing electric vehicle charging stations to accommodate a growing number of EV enthusiasts at its facilities.
Chevrolet Makes Stop/Start Standard in 2015 Impala
Stop/start technology will be standard on the 2015 Impala base 2.5-liter ECOTEC® engine, an addition that improves the vehicle’s city fuel economy by nearly 5 percent, or one mile per gallon.
GM Fuel Cell Fleet Tops 3 Million Miles
General Motors’ fleet of fuel cell vehicles recently passed 3 million miles of hydrogen-powered, real-world driving. Some individual vehicles have accumulated more than 120,000 miles. By GM’s estimate, using hydrogen to power these vehicles, the fleet has avoided 157,894 gallons of gasoline consumption.
GM Invests $449 Million for Next Generation Electrification
In preparation for the next generation of electric vehicles and advanced battery technologies, GM will invest $449 million to upgrade manufacturing processes at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly and Brownstown Battery Assembly plants.
DIVERSITY
Veterans Take Advantage of Expanded Military Discount
Nearly 8,000 U.S. military veterans purchased a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac by taking advantage of General Motors’ enhanced Military Discount Program. All active-duty military, reservists, retirees and veterans – regardless of separation date – were eligible.
PHILANTHROPY
Helping Kids Run for Their Dreams with a New Pair of Shoes
For more than a decade, Samaritan’s Feet has been giving away millions of shoes to children throughout the world while encouraging them to follow their dreams. Buick has been a proud supporter of Samaritan’s Feet and has partnered with the organization on several occasions, including the past three years during the NCAA basketball tournament. Learn more by reading this interview with Samaritan’s Feet Founder and CEO Manny Ohonme.
GM Global Manufacturing steps up STEM support for youth
Each spring, GM employees around the world engage in the FIRST® Robotics Competition. GM, a founding sponsor of FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), sponsors or supports hundreds of teams involving thousands of students around the world.
