GM SPO Facilities Support Clinton River Monitoring

GRAND BLANC, MICH. May 17, 2004; General Motors Service & Parts Operations (GM SPO) facilities in Oakland County are lending a hand to study the quality of the Clinton River and its tributaries by participating in the Stream Leaders program coordinated by the Clinton River Watershed Council (CWRC). Other GM facilities, 16 area school districts, and local businesses such as DaimlerChrysler, King Pharmaceuticals, and Rochester Rotary Charities also are participating.

"This effort allows General Motors to work as a partner in the Oakland County-area community," said Chris Bates, GM director of Regulatory and Legislative Environmental Interface and GM-GREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network) program champion. "GM environmental engineers are able to share their enthusiasm for the environment in a way that demonstrates to our children the role of science in their day-to-day lives. Students obtain lasting impressions about the importance of protecting our valuable river systems through this hands-on learning experience."

New this year, five GM SPO facilities, both in Oakland County and across the country, are lending their efforts to the GM-GREEN program. GM SPO's Drayton Plains and Pontiac Processing Centers are partnering with local schools to lead Clinton River monitoring efforts. Times, dates, and locations appear at the end of this release.

The GM-GREEN partnership engages GM facilities, partners, educators, and young people in leading the effort to monitor and examine their community's rivers. GM mentors and their educator and student partners conduct physical, chemical, and biological testing to monitor water quality. They then interpret their findings and work on a project that benefits the local environment.

This marks the 15th-year anniversary of GM supporting the GREEN program's efforts. GM provides employee mentors to schools and financial support to community watershed education efforts. In GM-GREEN communities, General Motors employees, along with representatives from school districts, local government and non-profit agencies, and other community members turn riverbanks into classrooms and engage young people in assessing and protecting local waterways.