| Indoor Activities |
| Points |
Activity |
| 1 |
Turn off the lights when you leave the room – at
Guiding events AND at home! |
| 1 |
Lug a mug (bring your own mug instead of using plastic/paper
cups). |
| 1 |
Become an eco-friendly consumer by checking out packaging
on different 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, a 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? |
| 2 |
Have a garbage-free meeting. |
| 2 |
Do an environment-based program challenge.
Some to pick from are: Ontario’s Watershed CSI
(launching Fall 2009) BC’s Eco Pac Challenge
http://www.bc-girlguides.org/resources/challenges/media/EcoPakBCProgram
Challenge2008.pdf
Alberta’s Geosciences Challenge http://www.albertagirlguides.ca/challenges.html |
| 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://www.ontariofarmfresh.com/consumer/fmsi.html |
| ? |
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 |
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 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 Guiding websites (e.g., www.guidesontario.org under For Our Members, Unit Activities and Bright
Ideas). 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 |
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 at:
http://www.ontarionature.org/network/groups.html |
| 1 |
Create something to show appreciation for the natural
world around you. Maybe you want to bring a sketchbook
or take some photos to share with others, or plant
something to bring nature to a space that needs it. |
| 1 |
Field trip? Find an alternate way to get there! Walk,
take transit, bike, carpool. |
| 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 your food or snack in reusable containers instead
of disposable bags. |
| 1 |
Find ways to cook outdoors that 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 a building a box oven or making
roasting sticks. |
| 1 |
Make fire starters out of recyclables. |
| 1 |
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 |
Activity |
| 2 |
Participate in an Earth Hour meeting. Register your
Unit’s participation or support for this event
online at: https://thegoodlife.wwf.ca/ActionDetail.cfm?ActionId=61 |
| 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 issue 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.
NOTE: Apply for Environmental Service Project Financial
Assistance at Ontario Council. Check out criteria
and download the form at www.guidesontario.org
|
| Special events/ceremonies |
| Points |
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 ones. |
| ? |
Choose your own way to make your event environmentally
friendly. Assign points based on time and effort needed. |
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.
|
