Added on November 2, 2016  The News Wheel   , ,
No Comments

GM Sites Protect, Preserve, Restore Local Ecosystems

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

GM Logo

That long-acknowledged bulwark of biodiversity, big business, is coming in clutch to develop wildlife habitats.

General Motors, in support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal to halt biodiversity loss, launched several initiatives worldwide to demonstrate how businesses can play a role in preserving local ecosystems.

“We have a responsibility to make our communities better wherever we do business,” said Greg Martin, GM executive director for sustainability. “Good sustainable development is seeking more ways to use GM property to strengthen biodiversity. We also are teaching employees and community members about how they can impact their local ecosystems.”

Car Shopping? The advantages and disadvantages of buying versus leasing a new vehicle

A few examples of the company’s efforts:

  • Perhaps controversially, at least according to some schools of thought, GM has ruled in favor of safe spaces…for ospreys and swallows in Flint, Michigan.
  • Sorry, other GM areas involved in the program, but the most fun effort seems to be in Canada. At the Edmonton Parts Distribution Center, GM “took students on inflatable rafts doubling as floating laboratories to discover information about the North Saskatchewan River’s health.” Sounds like something between a pure joyride and The Magic School Bus.
  • Additionally in Edmonton (As Canadian schoolchildren like to rhyme, “Edmonton means GM Fun!”), GM created brush piles from scrap branches and twigs to serve as dens for coyotes and small mammals.

GM now manages more than 5,000 acres of land in 13 countries, and has 62 sites that have achieved Conservation Certification from the Wildlife Habitat Council. The company plans to have all of its sites certified by 2020.

Car Shopping? Check out the car payment calculator