Here in Detroit, the holidays are synonymous with the annual announcement of the North American Car and Truck of the Year. During the icy-cold month of January, car lovers nationwide come to thaw out while scoping the latest sets of wheels in the U.S. And this year, the competition is tough. Up for “Car of the Year” are three finalists, the greenest of the bunch–the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf–and the sleek looking and fuel-efficient Hyundai Sonata. It’s anyone’s guess who will take home the top prize, but that hasn’t stopped any of the automakers from vying for some positive press.

Just last week, General Motors began talking about its plans to reuse oil-soaked plastic booms from the Gulf of Mexico under the hood of the Volt. The automaker has developed a way to convert roughly 100 miles of plastic resin boom material into plastic parts that work to redirect air around the Volt’s radiator.

The plastic components will be crafted of 25 percent recycled boom material, 25 percent recycled tires from GM’s vehicle test facility, and 50 percent post-consumer recycled plastics and polymers. The company predicts that 100,000 pounds of waste will be kept out of landfills and instead, used the extended-range EV.

I’ve gotta say, as an American consumer, it’s little pieces of innovation like this that make me smile.