DETROIT- General Motors Co. is expanding a Detroit recycling program to turn vacant lots into urban gardens.
The Detroit-based automaker is turning 100 steel crates used for shipping engines to Orion Assembly into raised urban garden in vacant parking lots in Highland Park and Detroit, building on an earlier donation of 250 crates that enabled Cadillac Urban Gardens to bloom in Southwest Detroit.
“These urban garden initiatives are proof that many items can have a higher purpose after their original use, whether it’s transforming a once-vacant parking lot or the creative reuse of manufacturing packaging,” said John Bradburn, GM waste-reduction manager, in a release.
The program, which started in mid-2012, works by community residents picking free produce, while being encouraged to contribute to ongoing watering and maintenance. Over the last year, as part of the Cadillac Urban Gardens, more than 2,400 vegetable and herb plants were harvested this summer.
Cadillac Gardens was a result of collaboration with eight-time GM Supplier of the Year Ideal Group, and composting company Detroit Dirt. The soil was supplied by Detroit Dirt. It was sourced from local partners, including Detroit Zoo animal manure, Astro Café coffee grounds, and composted food scraps from the Marriott Hotel in GM’s world headquarters and GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant.
The gardening initiative is one of many GM sustainability programs, including recycling 90 percent of its worldwide manufacturing waste and has 106 landfill-free facilities.
“We enjoy connecting with people making a difference through sustainable means,” Bradburn said.
Urban gardening in Detroit is expected to be one of the discussions Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe, which is being broadcast live from Ford Motor Co.’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan.
“Detroit is leading the way in urban gardening, what is their secret to success?” said MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski, teasing the topic.
