General Motors Corporate Responsibility Newsletter - December 2013
General Motors Corporate Responsibility Newsletter
December 2013
HEADLINE:
GM Wildlife Habitat Helps the Blind Experience Nature
Among the features of a wildlife habitat behind the General Motors Canada Limited headquarters building is a 4½-mile trail designed to help the visually impaired better experience the preserve’s natural beauty. The McLaughlin Bay habitat is one of 15 GM conservation programs that earned recertification last month during the Wildlife Habitat Council’s annual symposium.
WASTE REDUCTION
Recycled Crates Yield a Cornucopia of Thanksgiving Goodies
Squash, sweet potatoes, corn, turnips, green beans and other staple holiday dishes crowded dinner tables in plenty on Thanksgiving. For Detroit residents, some of those veggies may very well have grown from GM’s waste reduction efforts – literally.
America Recycles Day: Rethink Waste and Make Recycling Easy
GM shares recycling best practices and tips for how consumers can reduce waste at home to commemorate America Recycles Day.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
GM Gets Steamy with Detroit Renewable Energy
General Motors and Detroit Renewable Energy announced a renewable energy project to turn solid municipal waste from Metro Detroit into process steam that will be used to heat and cool portions of GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant.
RESOURCE PRESERVATION
GM China Has Birds-Eye View of Wetland Preservation
GM China employees recently teamed up with members of the media and local volunteers to educate those who live near the Shanghai Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve. It’s part of a three-year program called “Restoring Nature’s Habitat” that seeks to help improve ecology, protect biodiversity and educate the public on the importance of preserving the environment.
GM Mexico Facilities Improve Environment One Tree at a Time
Four of GM’s facilities in Mexico organized several tree planting events in 2013. More than 8,000 trees have been planted by GM employees in the plant communities as a result of the combined efforts.
GREENER VEHICLES
2014 Buick Regal Boasts More Power, Greater Efficiency
The revamped 2014 Buick Regal features the sport sedan’s most powerful standard engine ever – and increased fuel efficiency. The 2014 Regal gets an EPA-estimated 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, an increase of 3 mpg or 17 percent city economy over the 2013 Regal Turbo.
GM Ventures Named Corporate Investor of the Year
GM Ventures, the venture capital arm of General Motors, was named Corporate Investor of the Year in the fifth annual Global Cleantech 100 list and report. The award is given to the corporate investor with the largest percentage of its cleantech venture portfolio in the 2013 Global Cleantech 100.
DIVERSITY
National Society of Black Engineers Leads Path to GM
Leah Miller, hybrid battery test engineer at GM’s Global Battery Systems Laboratory in Warren, Mich., explains how the National Society of Black Engineers helped launched her career in the automotive industry.
Navajo Code Talkers Honored for Veterans Day
In honor of Veterans Day, General Motors invited Navajo Code Talkers Peter MacDonald and Bill Toledo to share stories from World War II with GM employees and fellow veterans.
GM Engineer Receives the SAE 2014 J. Cordell Breed Award for Women Leaders
Cindy Svestka, engineering group manager, was selected as the 2014 winner of the J. Cordell Breed Award for Women Leaders based on her excellence in creatively dealing with the challenges professional women face in the mobility industry as well as her contributions to social missions, charities and educational outreach programs such as the EcoCAR 2 program.
PHILANTHROPY
GM Recognized as Company of the Year by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) selected General Motors as its Company of the Year for its efforts in advancing science, technology, mathematics, and engineering, or STEM, education in the Hispanic community, and enhancing the achievement of its Hispanic employees.
UAW-GM Fundraiser Supports Moms and Babies
The UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, in partnership with the Michigan Chapter of the March of Dimes, drew the winning raffle ticket for a new 2014 Buick LaCrosse, awarded in the March of Dimes Annual Campaign. This year’s proceeds contribute to more than $1.3 million raised by UAW-GM locations since 2006.
GM Foundation Grants $2.9 Million to Higher Education
The General Motors Foundation announced grants totaling $2.9 million to support 26 leading universities and partnering organizations across the country this year through its University/Organization Partner Program. The initiative provides funding to advance secondary education curricula in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM, information technology and other fields important to the automotive industry.
