General Motors Receives EPA’s Top Energy Award

[scottf200]

http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Mar/0301_epa

DETROIT – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named General Motors its 2012 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in the motor vehicle category, citing its commitment to energy efficiency and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

GM’s U.S. energy-management team monitors 2.5 million pieces of energy data per minute in a dashboard system that identifies savings opportunities to increase efficiency of manufacturing operations.

“Our energy experts engage employees across our organization in reducing emissions and increasing efficiency,” said Mike Robinson, GM’s vice president of Sustainability and Global Regulatory Affairs. “This relentless pursuit helps us improve our environmental footprint and strengthen our business.”

GM demonstrated progress in several areas last year:

• Energy management dashboard system led to company savings of more than $3 million.
• Dedicated $12 million for implementation of energy cost-savings projects. The investment paid for itself in less than one year.
• Generated $2 million in additional savings from powering four facilities with landfill gas, a renewable energy source. Avoided putting 131,400 metric tons of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. This is equivalent to avoiding electric use in 16,400 homes, or planting 3.4 million trees that grow for 10 years.

Overall, GM saved more than $15 million in energy costs.
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[AndyH]

Good job GM.

The 2012 awards ceremony is scheduled for March 15:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=pt_awards.pt_es_awards

This isn't about efficient vehicles, though, it's about efficient buildings/processes. GM is joined by school districts, hotels/motels, and grocery store chains.
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/pt_awards/2011_profiles_in_leadership.pdf?ceb4-74a2


Nissan North America was one of the 2011 partners.
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/pt_awards/2011_profiles_in_leadership.pdf?38de-3f51

 

[AndyH]

Sigh.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/green-group-urges-gm-to-s_n_1321940.html?ref=green&ir=Green

The recent disclosure that General Motors' charitable arm has funded a think tank skeptical of climate change fueled an outcry among environmentalists. Now, an environmental group says it has collected 10,000 signatures urging the automaker to stop funding the Chicago-based Heartland Institute.

Internal documents leaked in February show that the General Motors Foundation -- which the automaker says is funded separately from business operations -- donated to the institute $15,000 in both 2010 and 2011, with another $15,00 expected in 2012.

Heartland, which identifies itself as a free-market think tank, works to debunk the concept of global warming through its newsletters, web site, and the support of scientists. Last year, the tagline for its annual conference on the subject was "Global Warming: Was It Ever Really A Crisis?"

 

[scottf200]

Congratulations to the 2012 ENERGY STAR Award Winners!

On March 15, EPA and DOE honored businesses and organizations for their outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency at the 2012 ENERGY STAR Awards ceremony.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=pt_awards.showAwardDetails&esa_id=4661" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Home > Partner Resources > ENERGY STAR Awards > General Motors Company
General Motors Company
Detroit, Michigan
ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

General Motors Company (GM) is a leading automobile manufacturer located in more than 120 countries with sales reaching more than 8 million vehicles annually. As part of its new strategy, GM is committed to "making a positive difference," which is reflected in the achievements of its energy program. GM is receiving ENERGY STAR recognition for adopting the ENERGY STAR approach to energy management and integrating it into the company's standard business model. Key accomplishments include:

· Reducing energy intensity in its U.S. operations by 4 percent compared to 2010, saving $14 million in energy costs.
· Reducing energy use in global facilities by 30 percent between 2005 and 2010. These savings reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 3.15 million metric tons.
· Requiring all personnel worldwide to adopt the principles outlined in the company's Code of Conduct, including environmental sustainability and energy efficiency practices.
· Allocating $12 million for the implementation of cost-effective energy, water, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects in GM's U.S. plants.
· Earning GM's first ENERGY STAR certification for an assembly plant and achieving the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry energy use reduction goal at 30 sites.
· Committing to invest up to $40 million over the next few years in projects that will help reduce up to 8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, equivalent to the annual impact of a forest the size of Yellowstone.
· Using landfill gas as a source of energy in four of GM's U.S. manufacturing facilities.