GM to Sponsor Bolt EV Road Trip From Detroit to NYC

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM to Sponsor Bolt EV Road Trip From Detroit to NYC

GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra drives the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV onto the stage 11 January 2016 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

General Motors (NYSE: GM) announced today that it has joined the National Wildlife Federation as a founding member of the new Climate Equity Collaborative*, a scheme focused on addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities and youth. As part  of the lead up to Climate Week GM will stage an EV road trip** from the Detroit Auto Show to New York City with climate advocate, musician and UN Youth Leader AY Young.

“Too often, the people and communities most vulnerable to climate change are left out of conversations that impact their lives,” said Kristen Siemen, GM’s vice president of Sustainable Workplaces and chief sustainability officer. “We’re proud to be a founding member of the Climate Equity Collaborative, and we invite other companies to join us in this movement to take stronger, more inclusive action on climate change.”

GM donated $1 million to the Collaborative through its Climate Equity Fund, and it will co-design the initiative’s framework and roadmap. The National Wildlife Federation is serving as the meeting organizer, alongside a group of sustainability leaders in the non-profit, government and private sectors. (AutoInformed: General Motors Launches New Fund to Advance Climate Equity; GM is Doubling its Climate Equity Fund)

“The climate crisis is hitting Black and front-line communities first and worst. The Climate Equity Collaborative and this partnership will help us ensure that efforts to address the changing climate and generational environment injustices reflect the perspectives and needs of impacted communities,” said Mustafa Santiago Ali, executive vice president of conservation and justice at the National Wildlife Federation.

*Climate Equity Collaborative or CEC – Other founding non-profit partners include WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Children’s Environmental Health Network, and the Community and College Partners Program. The CEC  aims to engage communities, youth and non-profits in designing and implementing equitable and inclusive climate solutions. Key priorities:

  • Elevating environmental justice and education within the broader climate conversation
  • Building on-ramps to the climate equity space for organizations that share the Collaborative’s values, starting with communities hit first and worst by the impacts of climate change
  • Strengthening the knowledge and leadership already existing among youth and vulnerable communities through engagement opportunities and resources
  • Driving investments to nonprofits and platforms that are advancing education, environmental justice and economic opportunity.

** Auto Show to New York City: Young will drive an all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EUV, promoting the growing accessibility of electric vehicles and expanding infrastructure. Young will make stops along the way to talk to students about how they can help advance equitable climate solutions. Once in New York City, Young will perform a concert with newly released music from his Project 17 album to inspire hope and climate action.

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