Education

Scouts

Badges

Beaver Scout Badges: The Outdoor Challenge

Beaver Scouts need to take part in a minimum of six Outdoor Activities, choosing at least one from each of the following areas:

Scoutcraft
An environmental activity
A visit.

Co2balance can help with the environmental activity part of this badge.

Beaver Scouts must show how you care for the environment in their local community or the wider world. The teaching aid and activity pack provided on this web site by co2balance will help leaders to teach the Beavers and help them to learn particularly about climate change and energy conservation.

Cub Scout Badges: The Global Challenge

To complete this Challenge, Cub Scouts should complete three of the five challenges below:

Find out about things that can be recycled. Over a period of four weeks show how they have recycled some things in their home.
Find out about the work of an international charity that helps around the world, for example, OXFAM, UNICEF. Present their findings to the rest of the Pack.
Find out about the traditions, culture, food, sport and other interesting things of a country different from their own.
Run a campaign over a month to encourage people to conserve energy or water.
Find out about an aspect of international Scouting. They could take part in a ‘Join In Jamboree’ activity, or arrange a visit from a Jamboree participant. Or, they could find out about Scouting in a country of their choice.

IDEA: In working towards their global challenge badge, the 1^st Badsey Cubs in Worcestershire promoted recycling and energy/water saving at home and in the hut. They gained the agreement of other members of the house to begin, or increase, their recycling and energy saving efforts. To add a little fun, with everyone’s agreement, if they saw someone clearly not recycling paper, plastic, glass, etc., or wasting electricity/water then they should fine them a suitable amount! If they themselves do not follow suit, then they were fined too. With the fines that they collected, they bought trees from co2balance to show that they fully understood the carbon dioxide consequences of wasting energy.

Co2balance can help with the background information in why we should encourage people to conserve energy and water and give ideas as to what can be done to help. The teaching aid and activity pack provided on this web site by co2balance will help leaders to teach the Cubs and help them to learn particularly about climate change and energy conservation.

Cub Scout Badges: The Chief Scout’s Silver Award

This badge is the highest award available in the Cub Scout Section. It is gained by completing:

the Outdoor Challenge, plus
two other challenges, plus
a personal challenge

As outlined above, information provided by co2balance can help to achieve the Global Challenge badge and therefore help towards the Chief Scout’s Silver Award.

Cub Scout Activity Badges: Global Conservation

The Cub Scout must carry out these projects as a member of a group of Cub Scouts and not alone.

This group may be a Six or other small group.

While they are working on this Badge with their group:
1. find some examples showing how people have damaged the environment and other examples showing how people have conserved the environment
2. find examples of where the Country Code is being broken and what has happened as a result.
Take part as a group in two projects, such as:
1. clearing a ditch, pond or creek
2. making, setting up and maintaining a bird feeder, bird table, bird nesting
3. box or bird bath
4. looking after a piece of land or a garden
5. tidying up a piece of wasteland
6. taking part in an anti-litter campaign
7. planting a tree or shrub
8. looking after a compost bin.
Choose one from the following:
1. make a display to inform others about an animal, bird, plant, fish, etc. which is in danger of extinction
2. organise a ‘save it’ campaign to encourage others to conserve energy, e.g. home insulation, fuel efficient engines, etc.
3. take part in or start a recycling scheme, e.g. bottles, cans, waste paper
4. visit a forest, wood or campsite and take part in a project on tree conservation. With expert help, find out how trees can be cared for.

The information provided by co2balance through this website will help the Cubs find some examples showing how people have damaged the environment by way of the emission of CO2 and co2balance’s work can be an example of how people have conserved the environment through the planting of trees to absorb CO2 and the creation of wildlife habitats. (Part 1a of the badge).

Those groups in the West Country area this year can help co2balance plant a tree on their Bishops Wood (Devon) site to meet with the requirements of part 2g. Please contact co2balance direct on enquiries@co2balance.com.

Co2balance can help with the background information on why we should encourage people to conserve energy and water and give ideas as to what can be done to help. The teaching aid and activity pack provided on this web site by co2balance will help leaders to teach the Cubs and help them to learn particularly about climate change and energy conservation, helping with parts 3 b and c.

Those groups in the West Country area this year can help co2balance plant a tree on their Bishops Wood (Devon) site to meet with the requirements of part 3d. Please contact co2balance direct on enquiries@co2balance.com.

Scout Badges: The Global Challenge

To achieve this Award, the Scout needs to complete activities in these two areas:

Make international contact
International issues.

For the International issues section, the Scout must choose 2 issues such as environment and conservation. This could include climate change.

The Scout must:

complete a series of activities to help them understand the issues involved
take some action as a result
compare how the issues affect the UK and countries overseas

Co2balance can help in outlining what climate change is. Co2balance’s carbon calculators (as provided on this web site) can show how much CO2 certain activities can produce. Co2balance can help in taking action as a result of those carbon calculations. Co2balance can provide background information in why we should encourage people to conserve energy and water and give ideas as to what can be done to help. Co2balance can show that the planting of trees to absorb the unavoidable carbon dioxide emission is an action that can be seen to be addressing the issue. The teaching aids and activity pack provided on this web site by co2balance will help leaders to teach the Scouts and help them to learn particularly about climate change, energy conservation and the absorption of CO2 by trees.

Chief Scout’s Gold Award

To gain this Award, the Scout must complete the Outdoor Challenge, plus at least four of the remaining Challenges, plus a personal challenge.

As outlined above, information provided by co2balance can help to achieve the Global Challenge badge and therefore help towards the Chief Scout’s Gold Award.

Scout Badges: Global Conservation

From the four sections below, select two items each from section A, C and D, and one item from section B.

Section A - Individual local conservation

Choose two of the following activities:

Find out all they can about animals, birds, plants or fish which are in danger of extinction in their own country. Find out what can be done to save them and, if possible, help to do so with expert advice.
Over a week, make a list of everything that their family throws away. Highlight items that could have been reused or recycled.
Find out about local facilities for recycling and encourage their family and friends to use them.
Find out how families can save energy in their homes.
Look for and record evidence of wildlife in their garden or a local park.
Be aware of some of the effects gardeners can have on local wildlife.
Find out about a local group or organisation that works for conservation.

Section B - Group local conservation

Choose one of the following activities:

Make a list of ways in which the Troop camp could prevent pollution. Make sure that their list is used when planning a camp or expedition.
Plan and carry out a conservation project with members of an Explorer Scout Unit.
Create a scented garden for a blind person.
Adopt a pond and carry out conservation work and maintenance, getting permission and expert advice as necessary.
Build a hide, use it for observing wildlife, preferably staying overnight, and then report their findings.
Assist with the preservation of a stretch of water, such as a stream or canal.
Survey a derelict site, recording how nature has started to reclaim it. Plan and, where possible, take action to help further reclamation.
Survey the local area to find examples of how man has damaged nature. Show how this can be avoided. Send the results of their survey to the relevant authorities.
Survey the local area to find examples of how man has tried to improve his environment. Send a letter of appreciation to the relevant authorities.

Section C - Global conservation

Choose two of the following activities:

Explain how different types of pollution in soil affect growing plants. Describe the safeguards that need to be taken.
Explain the pollution caused by motor vehicles. Describe how this affects people, plants and buildings and, where possible, illustrate their findings.
Explain the causes of water pollution and the action that could be taken to lessen the effects.
Explain how government, industries and other agencies are helping people to become aware of conservation.
Explain how trees are useful to man.
Explain why so many animals in the world are threatened by extinction and suggest what the Patrol can do to assist in their survival.

Section D - Telling others

Choose two of the following activities:

Prepare a checklist of dos and don’ts for campers and hikers, so that the natural environment is neither destroyed nor harmed by their activities. Give a copy of the list to each member of the Troop.
Plan a campaign to conserve energy at home, at school, at camp or at Troop meetings. Support their campaign with posters, displays, and information for the press and advertising material.
Help to make a bird box, bird table or bird feeder with a Cub Scout Pack.
As part of the plans for an expedition, plan a project to improve the environment. Carry out the project and report on it to the local Lions or Rotary Club, sponsoring authority, Parents’/Carers’ Open Evening or similar occasion.
Use an original and eye-catching method to inform others about the importance of saving energy and resources. For example, design a poster or collage, produce a photographic display or a short video, compose a song or poem or make a model out of recycled material.

Co2balance can help in outlining what climate change is. Co2balance’s carbon calculators (as provided on this web site) can show how much CO2 certain activities can produce. Co2balance can help in taking action as a result of those carbon calculations. Co2balance can provide background information on why we should encourage people to conserve energy and water and give ideas as to what can be done to help. Co2balance can show that the planting of trees to absorb the unavoidable carbon dioxide emission is an action that can be seen to be addressing the issue. The teaching aids and activity pack provided on this web site by co2balance will help leaders to teach the Scouts and help them to learn particularly about climate change, energy conservation and the absorption of CO2 by trees.

Therefore co2balance can help in sections A4 & 7, C2, 4 & 5, D2 & 5.

Group Awards Badges: The Environment Award

The Environment Award is about encouraging young people to develop a sustainable lifestyle. That is, a way of life that has a minimal impact on the environment. It is designed to bring a Group together to promote an environmentally friendly way of living.

The aims of the Environmental Award are to:

promote environmental awareness in young people
promote activities between the Sections
support the environmental focus in the Balanced Programme
ensure there is a positive influence on everyone taking part
have a long-term benefit on sustainable development globally or locally.