Should we banish “green” from the English language? No way!
I don’t care if word watchers are listing “green” as one of the most overused words in 2008. In fact, I wouldn’t mind if it was even more prevalent. Anything we can do to encourage conservation of the earth’s resources is well worth pursuing. I want to be able to see, smell, hear, touch, and even taste green!
In the meantime, I’m doing my part to encourage conservation by finding ways to inspire the next generation to Go Green.
Discover Going Green
Early in the academic year, I introduced the Go Green Girl Scouts Initiative to my 7th Grade troop (See Discover How To Inspire Kids To Go Green.)
Since then, we’ve continued to find even more ways to encourage kids to use resources wisely. Inspired by the suggestions in the Girl Scout Planet Power Interest Project, my Cadette troop:
- Learned about insulation and appropriate “R” values for our area on a field trip to Home Depot.
- While at Home Depot, we also compared the Energy Guide ratings on appliances.
- The girls watched a YouTube video of Oberlin College’s Green House, with its walking tour of a sustainable student home, that got them thinking about easy ways to Go Green in their homes.
Connect To Go Green
The new Girl Scout Leadership Model recommends that we incorporate three key values: Discover, Connect, Take Action. However, sorting out the Discover, Connect, and Taking Action elements of a Girl Scout project can be messy.
Often, they are intertwined within one event. For example, during the discovery phase of our Go Green Initiative, our troop participated in a National Public Lands Day Celebration where we learned about healthy pond habitats, while connecting with others who shared an interest in preserving the environment. That same day, we also “took action” as we worked together to plant several trees.
Nevertheless, the difference between the Discover, Connect, and Take Action phases becomes apparent when you realize that we are empowering girls to lead by promoting girl-led activities.
Although my Cadettes “took action” while discovering how to Go Green, they had not planned their own projects. It wasn’t until they “connected” as they met, and brainstormed ideas, that they were ready to “take action.” After some discussion, they decided to:
Take Action To Go Green
Having put together a collection of multimedia materials, the girls wanted to share these Take Action Projects with other kids; thus, inspiring others to take action as well.
At a Cub Scout Bear Den Meeting, Kayla read aloud Our Class Is Going Green! before showing the Green House video. Then, she explained the Go Green: Recycle poster before showing the boys how to make handcrafted paper from shredded paper.
Go Green Girl Scouts Service Unit Event
The girls also shared what they had discovered at a Go Green Girl Scouts Service Unit Event. While one girl explained a poster display on composting, another gave paper-making demonstrations to go with the Go Green: Recycle Poster.
At the Go Green Event, our girls connected with other Girl Scouts troops who had also been learning about conservation and who were sharing their own Take Action projects:
Denim Pocket Magnets – Our youngest Brownie troop shared how to turn used pant pockets, mostly from jeans, into useful and decorative refrigerator magnets.
Twine Necklace – A Brownie troop showed the girls how to make necklaces from reused bottle caps, twine, and beads.
Reusable Shopping Bags – To promote reduced use of disposable grocery store bags, a Junior troop brought in reusable canvas shopping bags that the girls decorated. They were each able to keep a bag.
Bird Feeders – Another Junior troop collected plastic gallon jugs that the girls turned into attractive bird feeders, decorated with natural materials, that can blend into the environment.
And that’s not all…
Ted Beblowski, state advocate for PEAK, (Promoting Environmental Awareness In Kids, a program that incorporates the principles of Leave No Trace) shared ways that young people can enjoy the outdoors responsibly.
Also, expanding on last year’s Service Unit focus on Hunger and Poverty in our community, the girls collected fresh produce as part of the Squash Hunger program to promote a Sustainable Earth while feeding the hungry at the Mt. Ida Community Food Pantry in Troy, NY.
More Ideas For Discover, Connect, and Take Action To Go Green
National Green Week – This week and through April 13, schools will participate in waste reduction programs where students will be encouraged to bring in waste free snacks and drinks for one week. Schools who participate will weigh classroom snack trash prior to and during National Green Week, and their waste savings will be added to the national totals that will be announced on Earth Day 2009.
As part of this initiative, the Green Education Foundation is providing:
…green lessons, activities, and Green Team projects that are easily incorporated into science, math, language arts, social studies, and creative arts curricula. Web support will include technology to enable student green keepers to upload videos, photos, stories, and illustrations that document how National Green Week jump started creative hands-on environmental endeavors.
Earth Hour – Switch off for just one hour, and help make a sustainable future a reality.
Earth Hour 2009 aims to reach more than one billion people in 1000 cities around the world, inviting communities, business and governments to switch off lights for one hour at 8:30pm on Saturday March 28 and sending a powerful global message that we care enough about climate change to take action.
Join us for Earth Hour at 8:30pm Saturday March 28, 2009!
The Ripple Effect
I truly believe that one of the joys of working with youth groups is that adult volunteers get to plant a seed that will, hopefully, germinate into a lifetime of service.
Every time we give our children opportunities to discover, connect, and take action to make a difference; there is a ripple effect. These youths truly care about doing good because they buy into the needs that they identify, and the service projects that they design and carry out.
Those engaged kids inspire other kids, and so on, and so on. And those children will become the adults who are the leaders who make the world a better place.
Related Links
Discover How To Inspire Kids To Go Green – Article sharing ideas and resources on teaching kids about Going Green.
Did You Hug A Tree Today? – Article about our National Public Lands Day Celebration at Glimmerglass State Park.
Go Green Girl Scouts Event Video -A video taken at the Go Green Girl Scout Service Unit Event.
Go Green Girl Scouts Event Flyer – Downloadable flyer from this Girl Scout Service Unit Event.
Go Green – Observe and Conserve Take Action Go Green Discussion Ideas from Ashdon Farms with activity suggestions sorted by Girl Scout age level.
Paper Making – Illustrated instructions on making recycled paper.
What Girl Scouts Can Learn About “Leave No Trace”? – A Girl Scouts USA article about PEAK and Leave No Trace.
Hunger 101: It’s The Season To Be Merry and Hungry – Article about our Service Unit’s discovery program on hunger and poverty.
Technorati Tags: activism,youth activism,go green,sustainability,cub scouts,girl scouts,conservation
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this post – the girls have done a great job. It is so inspiring. We do re-cycle but that feels pretty automatic these days – This was a great wake up call to take more action. Thank you – I am exited to talk to my children about this.
GOING GREEN IS SO COOL AND EASY AND YOU DON’T NEED A BIG GROUP TO GO GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its fantastic that children are really taking the bull by the horns and going for it.
When I was a child we talked about going green and recycling but it never led anywhere. We were up for it but we had no one to show us what to do.
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