Sixth-Graders at Farms to Build Duck Nests from Chevy Volt Parts

Ducks will get new homes while Hartland sixth-graders will learn about the environment — all from repurposed Chevy Volt battery covers.

That's the plan for next month when the sixth-grade classes of Monique Shorr and Janet Chodos of partners with General Motors — which is doing similar projects across the country.

“It's not a lecture. It's a hands-on lesson that shows kids how to step up and take responsibility,” said Kristine Moffett of the Hartland School District who helped organize the project through the Michigan Green Schools initiative. “It's got a lot of good sponsors with the right info to make it a really great project.”

In a lesson that highlights waste reduction and environmental protection, the students will manipulate the fiberglass battery covers, engineering them, painting them, and ultimately turning them into duck nests to be placed throughout the Hartland area. The project is scheduled for Sept. 21.

John Bradburn, GM's manager of waste reduction efforts, said the idea for the duck nests is a result of GM's sustainability goals, one of which is to find alternatives and options for by-products through reusing, recycling, and repurposing materials.

“The idea was to do something for the kids,” Bradburn said. “The battery covers, we found, make excellent duck nest boxes.”

The project has already been a success elsewhere in Michigan, and there are currently more than 100 duck nests in the field nationwide. The battery covers will be donated by GM, and the paint was donated by Jim Crosby, who operates a paint recycling facility in Battle Creek.

“It's a good way to take something some people see as waste and reuse it to benefit wildlife and our environment,” Bradburn said.

Michigan Green Schools, which has more than 600 members across the state, was spearheaded in 2005 by Moffett, who is the organization's president and brought the duck project to administrators.

“Kris approached me with the idea," said Lawrence Pumford, an assistant principal at Farms last year who helped set up the project. "It sounded like a really cool project, so we met with GM and got a couple teachers involved."

According to Pumford, the project, which will include a presentation by a team of GM employees, has many educational dimensions.

“The kids will have the opportunity to learn about wood ducks and their habitat and about recyclable materials and reuse,” he said.