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Silver Award Spotlight: Committed to Protecting the Environment
Our founder, Juliette Gordon Low, was a famous lover of nature. Girl Scouts honors her legacy by promoting respect and love of the great outdoors far and wide. Through Girl Scouting, girls see the Earth as their home. Whether they’re learning about endangered wildlife, keeping our beaches and waterways clean, developing creative recycling projects, or working toward a grade-level award, girls focus on care, conservation, and responsibility. They make sure the beauty and wonder of our planet will endure for future generations to enjoy. Enjoy some stories below about Girl Scouts who earned their Silver Award by stepping up to the challenge of protecting the environment.
A pollution solution
Girl Scout Cadette Katrina in Troop 329 earned the Silver Award by creating a solution to combat the pollution showing up at a nearby elementary school.
“There was a big problem at the school Norfolk Highlands where my mother works as a teacher,” Katrina said. “The teachers were continuously having to pick up litter in the schoolyard. What could I do as a Girl Scout who loves community service and would help my mother and the students at Norfolk Highlands Elementary School? I decided that my Silver Award project would involve the education of the students about pride in their outside playground, neighborhood, and their community.”
Katrina constructed a trash receptacle which she later installed on the school’s playground. The installation encourages students and residents of the neighborhood to place all of their trash in the receptacle provided. She also created a fun video to spread the word about the importance of keeping your neighborhood clean, which was shown at the school.
“I knew that just placing the receptacles would not alleviate the problem, so I scripted and filmed a video to be shown to students in the first grade regarding the importance of having pride in their playground, school, and their neighborhood.”
From beach trash to artwork
Girl Scout Cadettes Lucy, Mary, and Zoe of Troop 2028 used their creativity to shine a spot light on a challenge our environment faces daily—pollution in our waterways. The three completed a project they titled, “Beach Plastics—Art to Save Our Beaches,” and earned the Silver Award along the way. The Cadettes worked together to collect trash in their Virginia Beach community and created a piece of artwork, which resembles a giant jellyfish. The sculpture is displayed at Norfolk Collegiate Academy for students to visit as a learning experience.
Lucy said, “We chose this project because a jellyfish would resemble the ocean and how trash is affecting the environment. Around 8 million pieces of plastic are thrown into the ocean a day, people need to be aware of this. I learned that the ocean is a big witness of pollution from us people, and we need to take better care of the ocean and the life inside it.”
New life for an abandoned garden
Girl Scout Cadettes Madeline and Victoria from Troop 5717 in Portsmouth were aware of an abandoned reflecting garden at a local church where Girl Scouts used to meet in the 1980s, and decided to make that the focus of their Silver Award project, “The Wonder of Flowers.” They knew there were at least two bee hives in the area, as well, and wanted to support the local pollinators.
With the support of St Andrews United Methodist Church, their leaders, and parents, the Cadettes set about planning, researching, and procuring materials. The garden had been untended for more than twenty years, and would need a major overhaul. “We did lots of research on the flowers/plants still in the garden that could be saved. We saved several plants and replanted bulbs to come up in springtime,” they reported. They also decided to beautify a buddy bench that was already there while they worked on the flower beds. “We went back to the bench and measured the slab it was on and started digging grass and leveling it out. Then bought the landscape blocks, wood, soil, and flowers with our cookie money. The final project is wonderful and it is great to see bees and other insects using them. We have voted to change out flowers as needed; we picked fall flowers and bulbs for now.”
The power of pollinators
Girl Scout Cadette Bella from Troop 1067 helped to educate others about the importance of the role of pollinators in the ecosystem and in our food supply. Her project, “I Spy Butterfly,” involved creating an outdoor space at Yorktown Library that attracts pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and moths. Along with creating a space that was inviting to pollinators, Bella believed it was important to find ways to involve the people living in her community. To accomplish this, she planned and hosted an educational day for families visiting the Yorktown Library to learn more about her Silver Award project.
Bella said, “I built a butterfly and pollinator garden area for the Yorktown Library. It includes two raised garden beds and a variety of plants that will attract butterflies and pollinators. I also put QR codes in the garden that families can scan to learn more about the plants used, as well as to get book recommendations that can be found in the library. I hosted a library program for families to come and see the new gardens. They could complete two activities: a birdhouse supply bag and a garden wish flag. I also did a butterfly release in the new garden area. I presented my final project to the library board with a presentation, so they could see all of the steps that were required. The library will continue to build up this area for families to visit.”
(Bella’s project was featured in a story at wydaily.com.)
These change makers have the leadership skills needed to make the world a better place for future generations. Today’s Girl Scouts are leading movements that continue to amaze and inspire those around them, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
