Girl Guides Ontario - Girl Guides Ontario - Go Green - Retired Ontario Council Challenge

Go Green - Retired Ontario Council Challenge

The goal of this challenge is to increase our understanding of environmental issues and to use our knowledge to lessen our impact on the environment during regular Unit activities. We can make a big difference by making small changes, so let’s support earth friendly choices in guiding events and activities!  It is suitable for all branches.

Unlike most challenges available to you, this challenge is not intended to be extra program work. The intent is to encourage your Unit to rethink the way you execute your everyday meetings and events to make sure you are making environmentally friendly choices.

Ontario Girls had a voice as the Girl Advisory Forum members 2008/2009 contributed their suggestions to this challenge!
 

The Environment Girl badge could be used as recognition of completion of this challenge. It is available through the national e-store.

There are also core program components for each branch that are completed if you do this challenge.

To complete this challenge, you need to do 4 things:

1. Think About It
2. Pledge to make a Change
3. Take Action
4. Tally Up and Congratulate!

1. Think About It

Have a discussion with your Unit and determine how you are already making environmentally friendly choices. Then think about ways you can make even better choices.

Choose and idea listed below to introduce this challenge:

• Go online and try to calculate your carbon footprint (recommended for Brownie age group and older)
• Go outside and look at evidence of human impact on the environment. Discuss what the land looked like before the buildings and roads were built; what animals live or have lived there?
• Visit a Garbage Transfer Station or Recycling Facility if you have got one nearby (All branches)
• Read “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss (Most suited to Sparks and Brownies)
• Play environmental Pictionary! Use words like conservation, garbage, pollution, water, reuse, consumerism (pick age-appropriate words for your group- most suite to Brownies or older)
• Do a colouring sheet and talk about water conservation; Environment Canada’s Holly Heron resources and colouring resource (Spark and Brownie ages)
• Create skits about what good vs. bad environmental choices are (All)
• Watch “The Story of Stuff” to learn about consumerism and consumption (most suited to Pathfinders,Rangers and Adults)
• Brainstorm in small groups how we can modify things we already do to lessen the environmental impact (All)
 

Website Resources (activities, games, articles, and learning options):

• E-Zone, run by Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment
• Environment Canada’s Kids’ Zone
• David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge for Kids
• EPA Kids

2. Pledge to Make A Change!

Take the pledge:
“We, the ____(your Unit name) are joining the Ontario Girl Guides in taking action by making environmentally friendly choices as part of our Guiding experience!”

Get ready to begin your challenge by taking action!

3. Take Action Activity List

Earn as many points as possible! Get at least a total 20 points to complete the challenge. Complete these things while you are doing your regular program in the Unit. Try to collect points from as many different categories as possible!

Indoor Activities

Points per Activity	Activity
1	Turn off lights when you leave the room - at Guiding events and at home!
1	Lug-a-mug (bring your own mug instead of using paper/plastic cups
1	Become an eco-friendly consumer by checking out packaging on products and discussing how we can make good choices as consumers
1	Walk around your meeting place and find out where energy is being wasted.  See if you can make some changes
2	Share your knowledge.  Pick an environmental issue that's important to you and create a campaign to inform others around you.  You can make posters, a PowerPoint presentation, skit, puppet show, podcast, video or anything else you can think of to spread the word!
1	Play a game that helps you learn about nature or an environmental issue
1	Discuss the importance of clean water as an important resource we need to preserve. What can we do to help?
1	Have a garbage-free meeting
2	Do an environmental-based program challenge, Examples: Ontario’s Watershed CSI BC Guiding’s Eco Pac Challenge Alberta’s Geosciences Challenge
1	In your Unit, circles, or patrols, pick someone to be the Environment Champion who will pay close attention to ways we do things and make suggestions about how we can be more environmentally friendly. Younger branches might want to call this designate “Enviro-girl”or “Green Girl” and decide her duties as a group.
1	Don’t idle! Ask people waiting for you at the end of your meeting not to sit in idling cars.
1	Don’t forget to recycle! If recycling bins are available at your meeting space, use them! If not, get a volunteer to bring home your recyclables after the meeting.
1	Check your food’s travel distance! Check the side of cans or boxes to find out where your food has come from (unfortunately, labels don’t always state where all components of a product are from, so don’t assume that Made in Canada means ALL parts of that food came from Canada).
2	Preparing food? Try finding seasonal or local food. Find out what grows in your area and plan your menu to incorporate local food as much as possible. Go to a farmer’s market (if you’ve got one nearby) to shop for your ingredients, or check out a local farm if possible! Find an Ontario Fresh Farm to visit http://ontariofarmfresh.com/locator/
?	Your choice! Pick your own indoor activity and decide how many points it should be worth based on time and effort required.

 
Program Applications
Many of these changes can be made during regular Unit functioning – the things that happen before you even begin program planning!

Sparks: Being Healthy Keeper – Healthy Snack Relay or Healthy Breakfast or Additional Activities Explore Fruit and Vegetables

Brownies: Be a Chef Badge, Key to Me –Helping Others, Key to the Living World – Reduce! Recycle! Reuse!, Terrific Trash badge, Help our Planet Badge, Water, Water, Everywhere Badge

Guides: You in Guiding – Understand the Promise and Law and Motto #2, Tasty Treats Badge or Kitchen Creations Badge, Recycling Badge

Pathfinders: Fashion Sense from Head to Toe #3, What’s Up Around the world #4, Putting Food On the Table #1 and 2, Our Environment

Rangers: Environment, Outdoors and Camping – Shopping and the Environment, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Energy Check or Falling From the Sky, Global Awareness – Food Awareness, Healthy Living – Eating Local, Fun and Fancy Fare, H2O
 

Crafting

Points per Activity	Activity
1	Recycle an object to make a fantastic craft.
1	Make something that you can use over and over again (e.g., turn a t-shirt into a bag, make bookends, build a piece of furniture from  from from reclaimed wood)
1	Make a craft that you can recycle or compost after you've enjoyed it.
1	Make something using supplies your Unit already has instead of buying new materials. Go through your craft cupboard or bin and see what you can make use of.
1	Have a craft supply swap with other nearby Units, swap all the craft supplies you’re not using for supplies that you’ll actually use.
1	Give something old a new life – make something from an old piece of clothing, a blanket, picture frames, etc
1	Scrapbook... but challenge yourselves to use actual scraps instead of buying special scrapbooking paper.
1	Instead of printing paper photos and scrapbooking, make a digital memory book you can share online.
1	Find a non-recyclable item you would have thrown away (such as packaging) and figure out how to make it into something useful.
1	Deconstruct some clothing.  See what's in your closet that you can make new again.
?	Your choice!  Pick your own crafting activity and decide how many points it should be worth.

Program Applications
Craft activities appear all throughout the program books and on Girl Guide websites. Pick your favourites and make some green changes to them.

Sparks: Being Me Keeper – Spark Memory Book or Who am I? Craft, The World Around Me Keeper – WAGGGS Craft, or anything from the Let’s Make Arts and Crafts section.

Brownies: Key to Brownies – Enrolling in Brownies A, Key to Me – Who am I? B., Key to I Can – Sewing Magic, Key to the Living World – Reduce! Recycle! Reuse!, Key to the Arts – Arts by Hand or Crafts from Afar or Marvellous Masks, Supercrafts Badge, All About Art badge, Key to Girl Guides – Brownie Memories, A.

Guides: Discovering You – Discover your Creativity #2 or 4, Art Production Badge, Creative Craft Badge, Fashion Badge #3, Needlework Skills.

Pathfinders: Join the Scrapbooking Craze, The Arts from A to Z.

Rangers: Explore your Creativity – Artists in the Natural World, Chic but Cheap, Being Crafty.

Outdoors

Points per Activity	Activity
1	Explore your area’s bike paths. Are you able to travel by bike? What prevents you from biking to get around? Maybe you live in a rural place where biking anywhere might be too far, maybe you’re in the city where traffic patterns make biking dangerous. What could you change about the way you travel?
1	Pick an activity and adapt it so you can play it outside
1	Explore a green space near your meeting place.
1	Learn how to dress for the weather (especially in winter) so you can go outside and have fun without feeling cold or wet.
1	Go hiking… and stay on the path. Discuss why it’s important not to disturb  nature.
1	Learn something new about your local flora and fauna. You might pick up a field guide at your local library or invite a field naturalist to come in and teach you something about local wildlife. Find your local Field Naturalist Group
5	Have a Leave No Trace camp or take a Leave No Trace training.
1	Separate your garbage from your recyclables when you do an outdoor activity. Compost if you can.
1	Pack you food or snack in reusable containers instead of disposable bags
1	Find ways to cook outdoors and don't use tinfoil, plastic bags, or other materials that leave a lot of waste OR find a way to reuse these materials several times.
1	Build a buddy burner or other type of cooking device out of recyclables.  Try building a box oven or making roasting sticks.
1	Make fire starters out of recyclables.
?	Your choice! Pick your own outdoor activity and decide how many points it should be worth.

Program Applications:

Sparks: Going Outside Keeper, In My Community – Neighbourhood Walk, Clean Water, Going Camping Keeper.

Brownies: Key to My Community – My Neighbourhood B, Key to Active Living – Outdoor Action, Winter is Great Badge, Key to the Living World, Grow Your Garden Badge, Key To Camping, Winter Outside Badge, Cookout Badge, Going Camping Badge, Happy Hiking Badge.

Guides: You and Others – Learn about Leadership in a Group #3, Beyond You – Explore the Outdoors and Nature, Beyond You – Learn About Our Environment, or pick a badge from the Camping or Fun in the Outdoors Section.

Pathfinders: Up Close and Personal with Nature, Winter Wonderland, Out on the Trails, Camping Here We Come, Outdoor Know-How.

Rangers: Tons of Program tie-ins in the Environment, Outdoors and Camping Section, Healthy Living – Winter Wonderland.

Service
 

Points per Activity	Activity
2	Participate in an Earth Hour meeting. Register your Unit’s participation or support for this event online
3	Participate in an Earth Day Service project.
3	Plant something
3	Find out about a local environmental issue and help
3	Raise awareness about an environmental issues that's important to you
2	Clean up-Going outside to play?  Pick up the litter along the way!
3	Collect gently used items to donate to a local charity or shelter
3	Hold a recycling drive.  Many food banks collect items such as cell phones and printer cartridges; check what's available in your area
?	Find out about an environmental activity taking place in your community and take part.  Assign your own points based on the effort and time commitment of this event.

Program Applications:
Sparks: Going Outside Keeper – Additional Activities, Brownies and Beyond – Additional Activities.

Brownies: Key to My Community – My Neighbourhood D, Community Counts Badge, Key to the Living World – Celebrate Earth Day.

Guides: You in Guiding – Be Involved in Your Community, Community Service Badges, Lady B.P. Challenge #4.

Pathfinders: Choosing your own Direction #5, Bridging the Gap #2, We’re a Team #3, Lending a Hand, Creating a Garden, Our Environment, Community Service Award.

Rangers: Celebrate Guiding – Girls Worldwide Say or Making a Difference, Community Connections – Take a Closer Look, Spruce it Up, Volunteerism, or Students Speak Out, Global Awareness – Ecotourism.

Special events/ceremonies
 

Points per Activity	Activity
4	Plan and carry out a garbage-free ceremony/special event
1	Make decorations out of recyclables
1	Make decorations that can be taken home and enjoyed for a long time after the event is over instead of using disposable decorations
1	Have separate garbage/recycling/composting bins available at your event
1	Ask parents/volunteers/Guiding members to bring food in reusable containers.  Take the containers home at the end of the night.
1	Use real plates/mugs if you're having food instead of disposable ones
1	With prizes/loot bags, think about what you're giving away and whether it's useful or will just end up in the trash.  Eliminate trinkets if possible.  If you really want prizes, consider a gift that grows or will get used often.
1	Ask participants to bring refillable water bottles to your event instead of providing disposable water bottles
?	Choose your own way to make your event environmentally friendly.  Assign points based on time and effort required.

Program Applications:
Sparks: Being a Spark - Enrolment, Brownies and Beyond – Advancement Ceremony.

Brownies: Key to Brownies – Enrolling in Brownies, Key to I Can – Party Planner, Key to Girl Guides – Moving Up.

Guides: You in Guiding – Understand the Promise and Law and Motto #6, You and Others – Learn How to Plan #1, Event Planning Badge, Advancement Ceremony.

Pathfinders: Choosing your own Direction #2, Event Planning Module.

Rangers: Celebrate Guiding – Make it Special.

4. Tally total # of Points! ______________

Celebrate the accomplishment by providing any core branch badges that were achieved during this challenge. You can also recognize girls by providing the Environment Girl crests from www.thegirlguidestore.ca