Energy and Environmental Excellence Award for GM

In the bitter battle of the EVs which is about to ensue, anything goes. We've seen how both the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf have already received their share of accolades, even if the two aren't quite on the market yet (the Volt is Green Car of the Year according to Green Car Journal, while the Volt has been named Car of the Year in Europe).

Now, it's time for the battle to move to a more corporate level. GM made the first move, being handed the Energy and Environmental Excellence Award by Hart Energy Publishing. The award, presented during the Meeting the Clean Fuels Challenge, is a recognition of GM's “progress toward the sustainable use of global natural resources and reducing its environmental footprint.”

“We work hard to reduce our environmental impact throughout all of our business practices from sustainable facilities and greener vehicles to recycling and reusing materials,” said Mike Robinson, vice president of Environment, Energy and Safety policy at GM.

GM got the accolade thanks to the efforts it made to turn its operations around and make them greener. The car maker now says it uses materials from renewable resources when- and where-ever it can in the design of its cars, transforming each car that wears the GM logo somewhere into a tree-hugger dream: roughly 85 percent of a GM car is recyclable at the end of its life cycle.

GM plans to score big next year as well, having already announced a $40 million investment into clean energy projects throughout America.