Inside GM’s Bowling Green Assembly Plant, workers are busy building the iconic Chevrolet Corvette. But just outside, the local community and plant workforce are finding peace and quiet on the property’s new 75-acre wildlife habitat officially opened during a ceremony on July 29. The habitat features a 1.5 mile walking trail, as well as 42,000 pounds of recycled shredded organic mats from the plant that provide soft and consistent ground cover for a picnic area.

Screech owls and bats on the property also call recycled Chevrolet Volt battery covers their home. Environmental engineer John Bradburn had the vision to convert the material into nesting boxes, and they have since popped up on the grounds of GM plants.

The habitat development has proven to be an asset to the surrounding community. Ninety eighth-graders from Warren East Middle School planted sunflowers in May, and Boy Scouts came from Michigan to build and install bluebird nesting boxes.

“Our vision for the wildlife habitat is much more than just letting our employees walk through here on break time or bring their families out,” said Dave Tatman, plant manager at Bowling Green Assembly. “This is really our gift to the community, as well.”

We’re committed to reducing the impact our facilities have on the environment, and habitat development is one way we do this. Bowling Green also houses a solar-powered charging canopy for the Chevrolet Volt, a new addition that’s part of the recently announced Green Zone initiative.

Coupled with the recent announcement of 250 new jobs in Bowling Green for Corvette C7 production, the wildlife habitat is opening at just the right time for new employees to experience firsthand GM’s commitment to sustainability.