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t various locations in the United States. The bat boxes are formed from scrap Chevrolet Volt battery
covers and each home can house up to 150 bats. In addition, artificial bat caves can be outfitted with extra hanging space by using excess adhesive used in production to make stalactites!
Bats play an essential part in the animal kingdom by keeping nature and its food chain in balance. In addition to being excellent pollinators, bats can consume up to 5,000 insects a night which helps reduce the need for farmers to use pesticides on vegetation. Unfortunately, despite all of the good bats do, they have been facing a difficult health imbalance in their own community. A deadly disease called white-nose syndrom is spreading among bats in the U.S. and Canada. The fungus which appears on their snouts causes abnormal behavior and frequently disrupts the sleeping patterns of bats during hybernation cycles. Some positive discoveries have been made however as bat experts from conservation groups have identified man-made bat caves, such as those created by General Motors, to be a restorative countermeasure in the battle against this non-curable disease.
We applaud General Motors for their efforts in preserving North America's valuable bat species and find the nature-friendly projects worthy of extra praise for keeping these production scraps and materials out of landfills. This is true upcycling at its finest and it's delightful to see what can benefit from this practice when combined with a little creativity!
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| © General Motors Birgit Keil Environmental Artist & Blogger |
Read more:
Creative Recycling: Bats Find Homes in Chevy Byproducts - Environmental Leader
