General Motors Baltimore Transmission Plant was among the winners of the first-annual Maryland Green Registry Leadership Awards, which recognize organizations that have shown a strong commitment to sustainable practices that achieve measureable results.
The GM operation in White Marsh manufactures transmissions including the two-mode hybrid. The plant has:
- Achieved "landfill free status" since 2007, meaning all waste is recycled or sent to a waste-to-energy plant
- Reduced its energy usage by 54 percent since 2003
- Set goals for future water and energy conservation, and driven an ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System
“At General Motors we don’t see environmental sustainability as a separate activity, but as an ingrained part of our culture,” plant manager Bill Tiger said. “We have learned you do not have to make a choice between environmental stewardship and good business practices, they are one and the same.”
Honors were presented by Maryland Department of Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson, Business and Economic Development Deputy Secretary Dominick Murray and Natural Resources Deputy Secretary Joe Gill. Other recipients included British American Auto Care Inc., NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and the Union Hospital of Cecil County.
Said Maryland Goverbor Martin O’Malley: "Maryland has made enormous strides on so many fronts -- working to restore the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways, to fight climate change and promote a clean energy future, to create green jobs, to make our air cleaner and our water safer, and to protect our land and farms for future generations. Our partners in this work, Green Registry members, are leaders at bringing good business and sustainable environmental practices together – to save money and to protect our resources."
Tiger said the Baltimore plant continues to look for opportunities to enhance its environmental performance. The plant is partnering with a local utility to place solar panels on the plant’s roof and is exploring ways to collaborate with local schools to create a wildlife habitat at the facility.
“I would like to recognize the men and women of the Baltimore Transmission Operations and UAW Local 239 for their commitment to being part of the solution to the environmental issues facing our world,” he said.
Winning Green Registry organizations were chosen based on their commitment to continuous improvement and environmental results achieved to date. Each of the winners completed a "Five Leaders. Five Questions" profile discussing the importance of these elements in their programs, posted online at: http://www.mde.maryland.gov/MarylandGreen/awards2.html
"A healthy environment and a healthy economy go hand-in-hand,” said MDE Secretary Wilson. “I am proud to present these awards to organizations that have displayed outstanding leadership through their strong commitment to environmental protection. While they represent a variety of facility types and sizes, all have several key factors in common that contribute to their success: each organization has a green team, has organization-wide commitment to environmental performance, sets annual environmental goals and measures their results."
