Green Facilities

Whether we are building cars or the plants that make them, we strive to reduce our environmental impact. Our GM Green Construction program — which outlines processes to help reduce waste and increase energy efficiency throughout construction — is one of our latest initiatives to help us do so. All future GM North American construction sites will adhere to initiative standards. In 2011, we announced 32 investments, totaling nearly $5.5 billion, many of which will be part of this initiative. Currently, five sites are following the process, including a $200 million stamping plant in Arlington, Texas.

We have designed the program to reduce the weight of construction debris per project by 90 percent through recycling and sending less to landfill. The program also requires GM contractors to manage indoor air quality by using curtains and barriers to reduce airborne particles entering the atmosphere; to reduce energy use on site with rechargeable battery-powered equipment; and to segregate materials like metals, plastic and concrete for ease of recycling.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council is considered to be the gold standard for green building around the world. When the Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant in Michigan opened in 2006 with Gold-level certification, the building was the largest facility and most complex manufacturing site ever to receive any level of LEED certification. In addition to the LEED designation, Lansing Delta Township is the company's first facility in the United States to receive an ENERGY STAR designation for superior energy efficiency from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To qualify, the plant had to perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meet strict energy performance levels set by the EPA from 2010 to 2011.

More recently, our campus in Shanghai, China, has achieved LEED Gold status. The campus, which opened in late 2009, serves as headquarters for GM China and our International Operations business segment. The building includes many environmentally friendly designs and construction features. Light-reflective materials coat pavement and rooftop areas to minimize the heat-island effect and enhance energy savings, while permeable concrete and landscaped surfaces in parking areas keep stormwater runoff to a minimum and help replenish the aquifer. In addition, 90 percent of its interior space receives natural light. Overall, the building is 16.5 percent more energy efficient and uses 30 percent less water than standard buildings in China.