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Scouts and Chilly Moose are once again teaming up for our Planet

Scouts for Sustainability X Chilly Moose Contest

While we may not be able to change the world on our own, the positive difference we make multiplies when we work together. 

Since the launch of our partnership with Chilly Moose in Spring 2022, we’ve seen a notable increase in the integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our Scouting groups’ weekly programming. This year, we saw Scouts enhance their impact by focusing on collaboration and teamwork by partnering with local businesses or organizations, Scouting groups in their community, or Scouting groups on the other side of the country to take on an environment-focused project or activity. This initiative aligned seamlessly with UN sustainability goal 17, emphasizing partnerships for the goals. 

Through the sharing of their activities and projects within the broader community, Scouts became eligible to win Chilly Moose gear, enhancing their support for various outdoor adventures.

We are thrilled to showcase the remarkable impact that Scouts have made in their communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Witnessing the creativity and commitment of Scouts in their SDG-related projects has been both impressive and inspiring. Our partnership with Chilly Moose enables us to contribute to Scouts Canada's vision of Canadian youth making a meaningful contribution to creating a better world.

Congratulations to the Fall 2023 winning sections and the outstanding SDG-related activities they have undertaken!

Winning Sections

1st Alliston’s Colony completed two projects, “Bee & Butterfly Garden” and “Trees for Shelter.”

They recreated their bee and butterfly garden from last year by asking for damaged wood donations from their local Home Hardware and building a raised planter box near their community garden. The youth participated in the build and filled the box with mulch and soil. They planted donated plants or seeds to attract pollinators. They want to continue to create these planters and to plant gardens to attract pollinators to help the environment!

For their “Trees for Shelter” project, they raised tree saplings until ready to plant and donated the money to their local women’s shelter. The Colony contacted the owners of a local campground, Egans Campground, to see if they would like to partner up for a good cause and plant some trees. They graciously said yes and purchased 40 trees, which families of the Colony planted. The Colony looks forward to doing more community projects of this nature and with the owners of this campground in the future! 

22nd Markham’s Company and Crew once again partnered with Agincourt Community Services Association in the community garden project to grow organic vegetables for their local food bank. The project runs from May to September and begins with lots of shoveling and heavy lifting of soil and dirt to get the plant bed ready. Seeding comes next with careful calculating and balancing the varieties, which helps controlling pesticides and avoid competition. After seeding, the continuous weeding and watering rewards a generous harvest. The fresh vegetables not only supply the needy with healthy food but flourish with the Company and Crew’s care and support for their community.

Moreover, the Pack, Troop, Company, and Crew joined forces with One Church volunteer to support their local food bank. They helped set up distribution tables, repacked and sorted donated grocery and essential goods, and make sure that 200+ families received their bags full of food. They completed clean-up tasks, restocked inventory, and mopped the floor in order to leave no trace. The group felt thankful knowing that their hard work was well received by their partners, teammates, and community members!

224th Sandstone Valley’s Colony, Pack, Troop, and Venturers joined together to grow produce for their community by having garden beds in the Beddington Community Garden. This is a way for the youth to learn about growing their own food from seed (they hosted a planting night in April) and maintaining a vegetable garden. Youth are also involved in planting the beds and maintaining them over the summer (they sign up for weeks to water). They are also using ullas (filled clay pots) to learn a bit about wise water use in their dry climate. The produce will be given to our local community cupboard, so they learn about supporting the community and help those facing food insecurity. The garden will also be adding 6 fruit trees and fruit bushes this year and the youth will be helping plant them.

Moreover, the group helped plant and maintain three pollinator gardens in Sandstone and Beddington and helped plant another pollinator bed in the Sandstone Community Garden this year. They also plant planters in Sandstone Garden and maintain them every year. The group recognizes the importance of supporting a robust native biosphere.

163rd IIT Troop participated in two projects.

First, they collaborated with the Blue Springs Scouts Reserve to work on many Sustainability Development Goals together during their Service Camp. Blue Springs, being the first Canadian SCENES (Scout Centres Of Excellence for Nature and the Environment) camp approved by the World Scouting Organization on June 1, 2005, was chosen for its rich forests to explore. The Troop had an educational session with the Park Ranger and the Troop Scouters on the following topics:

  • How trees help fight climate change and protect the environment.
  • The importance of pruning trees.
  • Why and how to remove invasive species that outcompete native trees that cause environmental damage.

The Scouts used their saw skills to prune the thick branches of mature cedar trees and removed huge invasive trees that were growing alongside them. They had a lot of fun using shears and other pruning tools for the first time. Overall, the Troop learnt the role of nature and environment in Scouting and realized the potential their little hands have to fight climate change and to stop global warming.

Second, the Troop Leadership Team laid out a plan to collect e-waste from their Scouting community, from families and friends, and from local mosques. E-waste causes air pollution and impacts some animal species. Over time, air pollution can hurt water quality, soil, and plant species, creating irreversible damage in ecosystems. When broken or unwanted electronics are dumped in landfill, toxic substances like lead and mercury can leach into soil and water. The Troop collected more than 1000 lbs of e-waste and sent it to the proper recycling facility. Overall, this was a great success and they felt happy that we could reduce so much from their own homes. In the future, they will be cautious in disposing their e-waste to keep our environment safe and prevent the accumulation of toxic substances and gases into the atmosphere.

1st Napanee Valley’s Colony and Pack completed a shoreline clean up to pick up litter along the Napanee River (Springside Park) and all the way to Rotary Park. They cleaned up the land while learning about the importance of helping nature and animals, including why keeping garbage out of the river makes the fish happy and keeps the water cleaner! All together, they filled 4 bags of garbage to dispose of. The youth did a really great job working together and were proud to have helped the environment while also getting in some great exercise!

Additionally, the Cubs spent a couple of hours walking the Napanee Fairgrounds picking up litter and garbage. The Fairgrounds are quite littered as it’s used for different events throughout spring, summer, and fall. While cleaning up our municipality, the youth learned about protecting wildlife and were active and exercising while doing it. About 5 garbage bags were filled at this activity.

Activity Ideas

Need ideas? Take a look at these activities based on our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Scouts across the country are already doing! How can you challenge yourself and others to take the next step and contribute to a better world, and how might your Section connect these activities to other Goals as well?

Responsible Consumption and Production

As humans, we use the green space around us all the time: as farmland, for recreation and for so many other things! Sometimes, we damage these lands by mistake, and too much damage might harm them forever. Learn about ways that we can keep these spaces clean (and green!) as you learn about how we as humans create waste and what we can do to help keep forests green! You can help clean up the earth any day of the year, no need to wait for a special day. 

 

PILE OF TRASH

How much waste do you create in day? What about in a weekend at camp? Collect your garbage over a period of time and track how much you created – was it more or less than you expected? What can you do to make less garbage? 

VIEW ACTIVITY

LANDFILL IN A BOTTLE

As humans, we can create a lot of garbage, but not everyone knows what happens to our garbage after it is brought to a landfill. Try this STEM activity and learn about how different things decompose (break down) and get an idea of what happens at a landfill! 

VIEW ACTIVITY

Life Below Water/Life on Land

Trees are a crucial part of our ecosystem! This year, take action in your local ecosystem and learn more about what you can do to help keep trees and other local plants healthy! 

 

HEROS FOR PLANT HEALTH

Be a Hero for Plant Health! Did you know that trees can be sick just like people? Sometimes, pests like bugs can make trees sick. Learn more about what pests can contribute to poor health for trees. How can you use this information to help trees in your community? 

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BE AN ENTOMOLOGIST

Have a positive impact on the trees around you and run a bio blitz focused on finding (and potentially eliminating) invasive species in your area. 

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PREVENT A WILDFIRE

On average, 2.5 million hectares of land is burned in Canada each year, many of which are forested areas. Wildfires can be caused by lightning strikes, but human activity is responsible for 55% of fires. Learn more about what you can do to prevent a wildfire and take action in your community! 

VIEW ACTIVITY

TREE SCAVENGER HUNT

Get familiar with the trees in your neighbourhood and go on a tree scavenger hunt! Did you find any special trees or any species that surprised you? 

VIEW ACTIVITY

Sometimes, it’s human activity that causes damage to trails, forests or other natural spaces, but sometimes factors like weather or animals may also play a role. Help keep a local trail in the best shape possible by picking up litter, moving deadfall or even clearing new parts of a trail. 

 

VIEW ACTIVITY

How much do you know about water? Do you know how much water we require in our everyday lives? Learn more about the important role water plays in our day to day life and small changes that can help to reduce that amount!

 

LEAK DETECTIVE

Discover where you might be using more water than you think as you become a household leak detective.

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THIRSTY FOOD

What did you eat today? Do you know how much water was needed to make each of your meals? The water required to make a meal is more than just how much you added — plants and animals need water to grow before you can eat them — and some need more than others. Learn about how much water your food needs.

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THE FUTURE OF WATER

Knowing how much water is required in our daily lives, let’s think about what changes can be made in the long term to use less water — if you could do anything to change how we use water, what would you do?

VIEW ACTIVITY

Have you ever heard the phrase “think global, act local,”? It’s a way to approach problems in the world – while thinking on a global scale, we act in our own communities to make a difference. It may not seem like we’re impacting the whole world, but by making a positive difference in our communities, we’re making change for the better. 

 

CITIZEN SCIENTIST

Become a citizen scientist. Scientists rely on data from everyday people to study populations of plants and animals. Get involved in tracking local species or participate in an event like a bioblitz or bird count. 

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IN MY BACK YARD

Invasive species pose a danger to native species across Canada and sometimes they go unnoticed, simply because people don’t know what to look for. Learn about what invasive species may be present in your area and then go on a hunt – look for pests and report any that you find. Your finding could save a species! 

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FARMER'S MARKET

In a community, we all work together. Does your community have a farmer’s market? One way to support your local community and eat a bit more sustainably is to eat local products when you can. When we eat products from close to home, our food travels less distance to get to us and saves on fuel and pollution. With your family or Section, visit a local farmer’s market. 

VIEW ACTIVITY

When was the last time you planted something in your garden? Well, there’s no time like the present to start! Even if you do not have a garden, there are still tons of ways to get planting!

 

START A SEED LIBRARY

Did you know that the world’s largest seed vault is located in Norway? High above the arctic circle in Svalbard, Norway seeds from around the world are stored for safe keeping. That way, if something happens to a local population, there is a supply of seeds at the ready. Why not try starting your own seed library at home or within your Section?

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VERTICAL GARDENS

No room for a garden? Hanging gardens are a great way to grow seeds when you have limited space! Try making your own and enjoy the beauty of a garden on your porch or balcony.

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SEED BOMBING

Help your community bloom! Create seed bombs using seeds from native species. Then, on your next adventure, drop them as you walk! You’ll create patches of beauty wherever you go, and maybe help some pollinators to thrive!

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Climate Action

We might not be able to change the world on our own, but we can certainly make a positive difference when we work together! Learn more about different kinds of pollution in our environment and where the pollution might come from. What are some ways that we can reduce the amount of pollution that we make?

Learn about the pollution in our air as you make your own pollution catcher.

Discover how we can clean up the pollution that is found in our water with oil spill experiment.

Explore the water around you and how pollution can impact the water in our communities

Pollinators are insects and other animals like bees, butterflies, bats and birds that help to carry pollen between flowers. This process helps plants to grow and reproduce. Pollinators are an important part of our environment – let’s learn more about what we can do to help them!

Plant the ultimate pollinator garden and share it with your family and friends as you make seed paper

Learn about the role that pollinators play in our environment and what we can do to help them.

Create homes for pollinators and other insects in your backyard. 

We all have an impact on the environment, some good, some bad. Let’s learn about what we can do to reduce the bad impact. Small changes can make a big difference!

Do you know what you can recycle in your city? Learn about what goes in each bin and run a recycling relay race

A carbon footprint measures the total amount of greenhouse gases that are created by our actions. Calculate the footprint you make and then see if there are some ways that you can reduce it! Reuse old items, bike to school or try taking public transit! 

One way that you can reduce the amount of garbage you create is by starting a compost! Learn about what items are compostable and how you can start composting at home