On his trail to becoming an Eagle Scout—attaining the highest rank that a Boy Scout can earn—Life Scout Matthew Netherland (pictured) provided a lasting community service by recycling battery-box covers for Chevy Volt cars that had gone for scrap at a GM facility near his Michigan home.
Netherland literally found a new home for the used parts. The scout worked with a friend and two adult volunteers for about two months to craft the covers into 30 customized dwellings for bats.
Each bat house boasts five interior chambers that provide the perfect place to hang out for 100 or so of the flying mammals. But why worry if bats are homeless in the great outdoors? The reason is as simple as the will to survive: Bats eat mosquitoes. Lots of them.
GM environmental engineer Emily McDonald, who coordinated with Netherland on his project, points out that recycling the covers keeps them out of landfills while making them into homes for bats increases biodiversity along the river habitats where they will be located. “The Volt battery covers are made with durable material and will result in wildlife nesting opportunities for a long time,” she points out.
