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The General Motors Global Technical Center is recognized as the preeminent innovation center for automotive engineering, design and advanced technology. Originally dedicated in 1956 and designed by notable architect Eero Saarinen, the Tech Center continues to be a leader by adapting a conservation-conscious design to the campus.
The Wildlife Habitat Council recently awarded GM with the 2022 Corporation Conservation Leadership Award, recognizing our work incorporating greenspace into the design of our facilities and assembly plants. Our campus at the Tech Center is an exciting example of intentional environmental design and our commitment to meet aggressive environmental goals intersecting. Across our operations in the U.S., 17 facilities have a certified wildlife habitat program with 7 of those, including the Tech Center, recognized at gold level status for the exceptional implementation of impactful design.
The GM Design Dome at the GM Global Tech Center nestled in the trees.
“The Technical Center’s environmental efforts have provided a meaningful contribution to GM’s biodiversity leadership position,” said Jeff Siebert, environmental manager, Global Environmental Management Systems. “The Tech Center’s environmental projects align and support our corporate commitment to conservation themes such as pollinators, birds, education and community engagement, as well as larger-scale initiatives.”
More nature, less pollution
Bear Creek runs along the eastern edge of our Tech Center campus and helps to manage stormwater runoff in our area. We converted 7.6 acres of the campus grounds from parking lot to greenspace, incorporating bioswales, retention ponds and native vegetation to assist water management.
Bioswales are subtle depressions in the landscape intended to help maintain the quality of water through a natural filtration system and have become regular features across many GM assembly plants. Some facilities redirect a portion of retained water for use in cooling towers, aiding in our goal to reduce water usage by 35%. In Warren, we use these systems, along with retention ponds, to reduce the quantity and increase the quality of the water entering Bear Creek during storms.
Geese enjoy the bodies of water at the GM Global Tech Center
These features are inspected frequently to ensure they are operating properly and remove any pollutants before they could escape to nearby streams. They also help us be a good corporate citizen to our neighbors in Warren.
Beyond managing water resources, these spaces also incorporate native flowers, grasses and trees, all intended to support local wildlife. It is not uncommon to catch sight of a fox, geese, turkey or a notable favorite, the monarch butterfly.
Warren’s “royal” migration
Since 2018, GM has taken part in the monarch tagging project sponsored by Monarch Watch, a citizen science program at the University of Kansas. The monarch is the only butterfly species with a two-way migration pattern similar to birds. In the fall, these butterflies migrate from Michigan to overwintering sites in Mexico, only to return to breed in the United States the following spring. Like most long-distance travelers, monarchs require resources – in the form of flowers that produce nectar for the adults and milkweed plants for the larvae during the breeding season.
Our campus at the Tech Center provides a natural stopover for the butterflies and a great chance for volunteers from GM and nearby Seven Ponds Nature Center to search for and collect migrating monarchs that can then be tagged and released. Data from tagged butterflies recovered along the route or in Mexico are used to learn more about the migration.
Tagging butterflies allows researchers to follow their migration patterns.
Once delicately netted, a coded tag is placed at the center of the hindwing. The data on the sex, location and date are recorded before the monarch is released. The data are sent to Monarch Watch where all the information is used to increase the understanding of the dynamics of the migrations. Of interest is the response of the migrations to increasing temperatures and other extreme weather events. In 2020, a tag applied to a monarch in Warren was recovered in Mexico!
Paul Messing, test lead for Battery Test Systems Integration, who manages the project at the Tech Center added, “In each of the past four years, more people were engaged in the program, learned about the migrating monarchs and how we care for the environment around us. I enjoy sharing my experiences and excitement with others at work and in the community.”
Learn more about our environment goals by clicking over to GM’s Sustainability page.