General Motors (GM) is re-purposing scraps of sound absorbing material from its Chevrolet Malibu and Buick Verano sedans in to self-heated and waterproof coats that doubles as a sleeping bags for the homeless.
The idea came from a 22-year-old humanitarian and founder of the Empowerment Plan, Veronika Scott, and she is OutFront tonight.
GM Scrap Vehicle Material Insulates Coats for Homeless
2012-09-11
DETROIT – Leftover sound absorbing material from production of Chevrolet Malibu and Buick Verano sedans is being used by the homeless to create their own self-heated, waterproof coats that transform into sleeping bags.
The weather protection gear is the vision of Veronika Scott, a Detroit humanitarian whose Empowerment Plan is working with General Motors for the source material.
"Among other challenges – from design to project funding – the insulation is the largest expense in the coats' production," said Scott. "With GM's help and recommendations, I was able to think about materials in a different way and incorporate a sustainable, durable and practical product from GDC, Inc. that benefits struggling community members."
Sonozorb™, the insulating material, is manufactured in different shapes to fit within door cavities and vehicle compartments for sound absorption. Automotive supplier GDC makes the coat insulation material exclusively from the leftover scrap, reprocessing it for reuse.
GM donated 2,000 yards of material, enough to make 400 coats.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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There are homeless support organizations here in Vegas who have asked me how I can buy a few of these coats. We will bring them to homeless who live underground and ask them to test them and tell us how well they work. We will record our efforts on video. Please help. I have no idea how to obtain these coats. Peace, LV