General Motors Corporate Responsibility Newsletter
May 2013
General Motors Corporate Responsibility Newsletter
May 2013
HEADLINE:
GM is First Automaker to Sign ‘Climate Declaration’
General Motors is the first automaker among 40 major U.S. companies to sign a “Climate Declaration” and collectively asserting that responding to climate change is good business. Signers of the declaration are calling for policymakers to address climate change by promoting clean energy, boosting efficiency and limiting carbon emissions – strategies GM employs as it seeks to reduce the environmental impact of its vehicles and operations.
GREENER VEHICLES
GM CEO Dan Akerson Talks Sustainability at Fortune Conference
GM CEO Dan Akerson sat with a Fortune Magazine senior editor to talk environment and the future of sustainable mobility. The session was part of the Fortune Brainstorm Green annual conference, which gathers CEOs and sustainability leaders to discuss how business plays a role in solutions to global environmental issues.
General Motors Hosts Union of Concerned Scientists in Detroit
General Motors hosted staff, board, and advisory board members of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) for a visit with GM’s sustainability, R&D and advanced tech teams, and learn about the technologies transforming GM and the industry.
Chevy Volt Meets (and Beats) Industry MPGe Standards
Volt owners who regularly charge their vehicles are going 900 miles between fill-ups of the gasoline engine that powers the Volt’s on-board generator, while consistently achieving the EPA-estimated mileage of 98 MPGe gasoline-free miles. Their experience contributes to a total of 150 million electric-powered Volt driving miles – roughly the distance from Earth to Mars.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Three GM Buildings Take Home Top Honors From EPA
Three General Motors buildings were recognized for superior performance in the EPA’s 2012 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. The buildings that completed the competition cut energy use by more than 20,000 metric tons of CO2.
Lordstown is All-In with LED Lighting & Efficiency
GM’s Lordstown Stamping plant is the first and largest North American GM facility to convert all of its lighting to high-efficiency LED bulbs. The switch will save the plant more than $800,000 overall annually, while reducing CO2 emissions by more than 8,500 tons. This is equivalent to annual energy use of 397 homes.
GM China Advanced Technical Center Receives LEED Silver Certification
The GM China Advanced Technical Center (ATC) in Shanghai has been awarded Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
RESOURCE PRESERVATION
GM Donation Helps Clean Historic Site with Trees
Very soon, trees planted at a historic industrial site in Flint once operated by General Motors will be used to eliminate heavy metals, pesticides, and other types of pollution, merely by being in the ground. GM provided city leaders in Flint $10,000 to purchase and plant the trees at the site.
Full article…>
DIVERSITY
Barra Recognized by SAE for Industry Leadership
Mary Barra, General Motors senior vice president, Global Product Development, was honored with the Society of Automotive Engineering Foundation’s 2013 Industry Leadership Award. Barra is the first woman recipient in the 25-year history of the award.
PHILANTHROPY
GM Hires Detroit-area High Schoolers to Serve, Learn, Lead
A group of 110 Detroit-area high school students are going to begin paid summer internships as members of the GM Student Corps, a brand-new program that combines service, education and mentoring. The students representing 11 United Way Network of Excellence Schools will work in teams of 10 to develop and implement service projects in Detroit-area neighborhoods.
GM Foundation and Chevrolet Donate to ‘Help 4 Oklahoma’
The General Motors Foundation is pledging $50,000, and Chevrolet is donating a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup to Forgotten Harvest to assist with the organization’s “Help 4 Oklahoma” campaign to get supplies to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and help those impacted by last month’s devastating tornadoes.
GM Foundation Pledges $500,000 to Help Victims of Texas Tornadoes
The General Motors Foundation is pledging $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity to help victims of the recent tornadoes in five Texas counties. The donation will be used to help rebuild neighborhoods affected by the tornados that hit this May.
