ABOUT GMRENCEN

VISION:
Create and maintain an environmentally responsible culture through sustainable innovation, performance and community involvement.

Key Environmental Principles (RECIPE):

• Reduce, re-use, recycle
• Eliminate waste
• Continue to model responsible behaviors
• Improve our surroundings
• Prevent additional harm to the environment
• Engage the workforce and communities

Click here to download the Wildlife at Work brochure

Every Spring and Fall
The tenants at the GMRENCEN close their blinds at night and turn off their office lights every spring and fall to aid in the annual bird migration each season. Collisions with buildings kill more wild birds than any other single factor and nocturnal migrants are attracted to artificial lights. In addition to ensuring the survival of migratory birds, turning off the lights saves energy, saves money, and reduces light pollution.

The Problem
Each spring and fall, millions of birds migrate through the Detroit area. The bulk of the birds fly at night, when they can navigate by the stars and the air is less turbulent. Lights from cities, especially those on tall buildings or those aimed into the skies, disorient the birds and draw them in. Attracted to the lights, many hit windows. Others circle buildings until they fall from exhaustion. Either way, the result can be fatal for the migrants.

The Impact
Migratory bird populations continue to decline each year due to a number of factors that are putting enormous pressures on their survival as species. Migration is a particularly perilous time for them; the majority of these birds make twice-yearly trips between their breeding grounds in North America and their winter homes in Central and South America. Along the way they face numerous obstacles, of which collisions with buildings claim the largest number of lives. The U.S. Forest Service of the USDA estimates that 550 million birds die annually due to collisions with buildings.
Thank you for your participation!

General Motors, in cooperation with GEEP, sponsors a spring and fall GMRENCEN ‘Electronic Equipment Recycle Day.’ This recycling event is held in the ‘C’ Parking Lot along Atwater Street between Beaubien and St. Antoine Streets. GM hosts this bi-annual event to provide a convenient way for its employees and the community to recycle their old electronic and battery-powered materials. Safely recycling electronics helps keep substances like lead and mercury from harming people or the environment when deposited in landfills. Programs like this are guided by GM’s Environmental Principals, which support initiatives to reduce waste and pollutants in the communities in which we operate.
MOST ANYTHING POWERED WITH A CORD OR BATTERY IS ACCEPTED! Listed below are some of the electronic items that can be accepted at our next Electronic Equipment Recycling Day: Computers, Monitors, Printers, Laptops, Peripherals (keyboards, Mice, Speakers, CDs, DVDs, VHS, Wires, Cables, etc.) Software, Cable Boxes, Video Game Consoles, Household Appliances (including Microwaves, toasters, coffee makers) and Televisions. NOTE: Washers, dryers, air conditioners, refrigerators and TVs over 200+ pounds cannot be accepted. Just drive to the site and you’ll never have to get out of your vehicle!!! Just pop open your trunk and the assistants will take the item(s) out for you!! Questions or comments for the next Electronic Recycling Day? Email them to GMrencen@cbre.com.

General Motors has turned its ‘no-waste-to-landfills’ drive up another notch this year by enlisting restaurants at the RenCen headquarters complex — Andiamo, Joe Muer Seafood, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Coffee Beanery and others — to compost food scraps from their kitchens. Detroit Dirt, a start-up launched in 2010 by Pashon Murray, collects the organic kitchen waste, mixes it with manure and delivers it to customers. Some of it has been used in garden beds atop the Beaubien Parking Garage! The beds — reused shipping crates from GM’s Orion Township assembly plant — are tended by building staff. The compost helps filter pollutants, absorb water and provide essential nutrients for healthy herbs and vegetables.

When the chefs at Andiamo peel and chop their onions, carrots, zucchini and eggplant, they scrape the scraps into a container on wheels that Detroit Dirt picks up later. They also add pasta, eggshells and coffee grounds into the mix.

As part of GM’s goal to continually enhance and expand the Wildlife at Work program, throughout each summer, several lunchtime educational programs are provided by the Department of Natural resources, such as:
The History of Environmental Conservation
Did you know that the origins of conservation began because of the sport of hunting? Come learn some more interesting history at our discovery table!
The History of the Detroit River
Come learn how the Detroit River has made an environmental comeback over the last half century at our Discovery Table and about some of the keystone historical events in our City’s history which occurred on our beautiful river.
Other classes have included displays about…
Peregrine Falcons: DDT to Nesting in the “D”: DNR Wildlife Division’s Chris Becher, Southeast Michigan Peregrine Falcon Coordinator, shared the story of the recovery of Peregrine Falcons and the seemingly odd locations they nest these days.
Michigan Raptors: Lake Erie Metropark staff, along with the DNR, displayed lots of talons, sharp beaks, wings, and feathers to show what makes our hawk, owl, and eagle species such formidable predators.
Thank you to everyone who participated in these Lunch Time DNR events. We enjoyed a live bat exhibit that was displayed at the GMRENCEN to help tenants and visitors step into the mysterious world of bats and explore their benefits, habitats, and nocturnal strategies. Discussions included the benefits of bats, the need for conservation, and what can be done to help these unique mammals. Live Bats were on display, including a Big Brown bat from North America, fruit bats from Africa and Asia, and vampire bats from South America. These bats were shown in a way to interest, excite, and motivate us to learn more, take action in our backyards, and work globally to safeguard the earth’s natural world.
For more information about the Wildlife at Work program, click here. If you would like to print out the Wildlife at Work brochure to report sightings of wildlife near the GMRENCEN, click here! We offered a lunchtime discussion to learn more about the amazing journey that takes place by the birds of North America. As each winter approaches, a great migration occurs that involves millions of waterfowl traveling south to seek food in warmer regions. Since we live and work in an area rich in waterfowl history, we learned about the amazing journeys that take place throughout the greater Detroit River area. Numerous species of beautiful ducks common to this area were on display so we could enjoy their beauty and understand the important role they have played in the development of our riverfront.

Interested in year-round recycling available in the City of Detroit? For more information, click here.

Throughout the state of Michigan, State park explorer programs are offered to campers and day visitors at dozens of Michigan’s state parks and recreation areas. Armed with field guides, animal skins, bu boxes and other hands-on materials, state park explorer guides lead informal programs and hikes that feature each location’s unique natural, cultural and historic resources. Program topics include forests, insects, night hikes, pond studies and other topics covering the variety of plants, animals and natural features found within each park. These programs are designed for children and adults, often in a family setting. For more information at the Explorer Program, click here.

The GMRENCEN complex and hundreds of millions of other people around the world switch off their non-essential lighting during Earth Hour every 4th Saturday in March at 8:30 p.m. This annual event is the world’s largest public environmental action, involving hundreds of millions of people from more than 5,000 cities and towns in 135 countries/territories across all continents. For additional information, visit www.earthhour.org.

If you happen to be downtown during Earth Hour and catch photos or video of the GMRENCEN and/or the city going dark, we’d love to see your pictures. Tag us on Facebook, or tweet with us @gmrencentransf.wpengine.com, #earthhour.

 

 
2012-2013; BOMA TOBY (The Building of the Year) Award
 
2013; Energy Star Award for River East Center (Towers 500 & 600)
 
2008; ULI Award of Excellence

Bring Your Green to Work | How to make a personal difference.
CBRE Lamp Recycling | National lamp recycling program.
CBRE, Inc. | Corporate initiative for “a greener tomorrow”.
Carbon Footprint Calculator | Comprehensive carbon and lifestyle calculator.
ENERGY STAR | EPA program for energy savings and certification.
Global Reporting Initiative | Top sustainability reporting framework.
Green Seal | Recommendations for indoor living.
GREENGUARD | GREENGUARD Environmental Institute programs.
NASA Climate Time Machine | Track climate change from space.
USGBC | LEED green building certification and accreditation.
WasteWise | Dedicated to conservation and preventing waste.
WaterSense | EPA site for water efficiency and conservation.