Girl Scouts Lauren, Molly, Jacquelin and Stephanie of Troop #126 in River Edge earned their Silver Award by stepping in to invigorate the River Dell Middle School garden. Located near the Board of Education entrance to the school, it was originally designed and donated by Master Gardener, Virginia Korteweg.
It had fallen into wilder days of untamed growth in the absence of a regular caregiver. The rabbits enjoyed the wild stage of thick cover, having been spotted darting in and out of plantlife and lingering on the stone stage itself. Having cleared and pruned the overgrowth, spread the mulch, arranged the mums and planted spring bulbs, the Troop members, along with Troop Leader, Ms. Sobal have restored it to a place of beauty.
The garden hosts six raised beds to frame the plantings with a two sided border of arborvitaes lending privacy. Sculptures add a whimsical element. Stop by this Fall season and find a newly cleaned bench inviting book readers, iPod listeners, conversationalists and photographers to spend a moment in the revitalized garden. Congratulations to the Silver Award achievers!
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Troop #126 is following the Girl Scouts rich tradition of focusing on conservation awareness and earth stewardship programs. Multiple options are available to troops of all ages to earn badges related to the great outdoors.
Below is a summary of some of the newer, greener earth conscious involvements offered through the Girl Scouts today.
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Trees for the 21st Century aims to teach children about the value of the environment by expanding the world inventory of trees. Stewardship of existing trees as well as seedlings is done through active learning guides. The award patch features Dr. Wangari Maathai. Who is that, you may ask? Dr. Maathai’s Greenbelt Movement has planted over 30 million trees in Kenya. He is also a Nobel Peace Prize holder for his work in furthering democracy, human rights and environmental conservation.
The Environmental & Outdoor STEM programming offers qualitative and creative means for leaders to involve Girl Scouts in engaging environmental content. The choices are varied and diverse, for example, Daisies can plant a Mini-Garden, Brownies can be Eco-Explorers, Juniors make Earth Connections and Seniors can learn about Architecture and Environmental Design.
Environmental Events occur throughout the Girl Scout year highlighting Earth Day, National Environmental Education Week, National Trails Day, Endangered Species Day, National Public Lands Day and more.
The Catalog Canceling Challenge is a substantive initiative to help save trees, water and energy on all levels. Specific challenges have been enacted to have families reach numerical goals in removing themselves from unnecessary catalogs appearing in their mailboxes. Girl Scouts cite that each year, 19 billion catalogs are mailed in the USA. 98% are not utilized while 61 million trees are wasted on their production. In addition, some 59 billion gallons of water is required to make these underachieving, glossy marketing tools. Girl Scouts making a difference!
The Elliott Wildlife Values Project promotes leadership growth among those serious about wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship in their communities and beyond.
Girl Scouts Forever Green represents the Girl Scouts’ 100th Anniversary Take Action Project and is a national effort to improve the environment. Month long projects occur in February, March or April with participants pledging commitment to efforts like rain garden development, reduction of plastic waste or Earth Hour promotion. Photos can be shared on Flickr, updates posted to Facebook and tweets are tagged with #gsforevergreen, all progressively moving forward with the common goal of working to protect the Earth.
With slogans like Parks Matter, Girl Scouts Think Green and Recycling Rocks, strides are being made in a concerted effort to be more than environmentally conscious but also doers, taking responsibility for the preservation of our planet....as Lauren, Molly, Jacquelin and Stephanie have done on a local scale. Congratulations Silver Award achievers!