Community Updates

Green Standards Manages Diversion of GM Office Assets; Boosts Crowdfunding Campaign for Urban Farm in Detroit

Green Standards oversees landfill diversion of tens of thousands of GM office assets including in-kind donations to community More than 30 nonprofits have benefited and 1,500 tons have been diverted from landfill to date Company donation of $4,500 boosts crowdfunding effort for Michigan Urban Farming

Published 7 years ago | About a 4 minute read

Green Standards oversees landfill diversion of tens of thousands of GM office assets including in-kind donations to community
More than 30 nonprofits have benefited and 1,500 tons have been diverted from landfill to date
Company donation of $4,500 boosts crowdfunding effort for Michigan Urban Farming Initiative

Detroit, Michigan – Green Standards, a specialized environmental firm that manages furniture and equipment “waste” generated by workplace revitalization and relocation projects, is helping General Motors manage tens of thousands of office asset donations. The company is undergoing a multi-campus office decommissioning effort at its Warren Technical Center, Detroit headquarters, and Milford Proving Ground locations.

Green Standards—together with Herman Miller and its industry-leading rePurpose program that manages surplus corporate assets through a combination of resale, recycling, and donation—has diverted nearly 1,500 tons – that’s 99.7 percent – of GM office assets from landfill. Nearly $200,000 worth of in-kind donations have been made since the partnership launched late last year. This is equal to offsetting electricity use from 625 homes for one year. A growing list of more than 30 Michigan nonprofits have benefited from free, gently used office assets from GM so far. The solution is representative of GM’s commitment to reducing waste and improving communities.

“We’re building awareness of furniture waste and showing how it can deliver measurable community impact with leaders like GM,” said Trevor Langdon, executive general manager at Green Standards. “Dozens of nonprofits, including innovators like the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative, will benefit from workplace enhancements and immediate savings.”

Green Standards is also donating $4,500 to the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative to support its crowdgranting effort to create America’s first sustainable urban agrihood. If the organization reaches its $50,000 fundraising goal by April 2, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation will provide a matching grant of $50,000 with funds from MEDC’S Public Spaces Community Places program. Supporters can make a tax-deductible donation at http://www.patronicity.com/mufi.

Funds raised from MUFI’s crowdfunding campaign will transform a long-vacant three-story former apartment building into a 3,200-square-foot Community Resource Center with gathering space for educational programs and training opportunities, as well as house a commercial kitchen.

Green Standards’ financial contribution complements an office furniture donation to MUFI for the community center made possible by the partnership with GM and its campus decommissioning project.

Through Green Standards, Herman Miller, and GM’s collaboration, MUFI, along with other local nonprofits, have received free office furniture and equipment that helps to improve the comfort, safety, and productivity of their work spaces while creating direct cost savings. MUFI will also receive interior design resources for its community resource center from Herman Miller.

MUFI’s community center building restoration project will be a featured component of Sustainable Brands ‘17 Detroit global conference held in Detroit for the first time at Cobo Convention Center May 22-25. For more information about MUFI, visit www.miufi.org.

About MUFI

Founded in late 2011, the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is an all-volunteer nonprofit whose mission is to use agriculture as a platform to promote education, sustainability, and community in an effort to uplift and empower urban neighborhoods, solve social problems, and develop a broader model for redevelopment for other urban communities. The group’s focus is the redevelopment and growth of a two-square block area in Detroit’s North End known as America’s first sustainable urban Agrihood.

About Green Standards

Green Standards is a specialized environmental firm that provides corporations and other large organizations with a simple, sustainable and cost-effective approach to managing furniture and equipment ‘waste’ generated by workplace revitalization projects and relocations. Through its managed program of resale, recycling and in-kind donation, it recovers residual value, minimizes landfill waste, and creates lasting community benefit on behalf of its clients. Green Standards also provides industry-leading environmental reporting that captures key project metrics including landfill diversion, greenhouse gas offsets, fair market value of in-kind donations, and community impact stories. Since 2010, Green Standards has successfully diverted more than 27,500 tons (99%) of material from landfill and created over $18,000,000 worth of in-kind donations to non-profit organizations across the US and Canada.

Nicholas Buccheri

Green Standards

[email protected]

647-496-9638