Initiatives
Forever Green Monthly Challenge
June 2009 Challenge
Avoid Fast Food! Fast food is over packaged which means more trash! By avoiding fast food whenever possible, you’ll help reduce this needless waste- not to mention it’s not healthy to eat too much fast food! Instead, use your reusable tote bag and water bottle and pack a healthy meal or snack!
Bike instead of Ride whenever possible. Riding your bike instead of riding in a car saves energy and reduces pollution! It’s a great way to get outdoors and it’s also fun! That makes it a double benefit!
Clean up a waterway or a park. Get your Girl Scout troop together to find a waterway or a green space that needs some TLC! Make sure to check with the proper local authority in charge of the stream or park to get permission first! You will also feel good about your community service efforts!
May 2009 Challenge
It's summer time and that means outdoor fun! This month have a "green picnic." Plan an outing that doesn’t create a lot of waste or pollution. Use real plates and utensils instead of paper or plastic, and reusable tin or heavy plastic cups instead of disposable paper or plastic ones. Wash your plates and cups and use them over and over! Make sure to bring a separate trash bag for paper, glass and aluminum. Just because you are outdoors doesn’t mean you can’t recycle!
If you are having a barbecue, avoid using lighter fluid. Lighter fluid contains naphthalene, an air pollutant which is suspected of causing cancer. Instead, use an electric starter or a device that lets you start coals using newspapers instead of lighter fluid.
April 2009 Challenge
The average person produces four and a half pounds of trash every day and 75% of the trash is recyclable!!! Here is a list of some easy things that we can do to be Forever Green! By the time you receive your next monthly challenge, see if you can check off these items! Make it a point to change your everyday life in order to make this a simple everyday routine! This is a fun and easy way to be Forever Green and have some fun!
1. Bring a tote bag to the grocery store instead of accepting the plastic bags there. Many grocery stores and even the Girl Scout council sells reusable bags! You can bring your lunch to school or lunch on a Girl Scout outing in a reusable bag instead of a plastic bag that will be thrown away!
2. Use your own water bottle instead of purchasing bottled water at the grocery. You can use a filter on the kitchen sink and have filtered water right from home!
3. Learn about the numbers on recyclable items and start recycling! You can watch your recycling box grow and feel good that your trash is not in a land fill! To find recycling companies in your area, check out www.Earth911.com
Please send in your Forever Green ideas to gogreen@gsle.org. Perhaps your Forever Green idea will be in next month's newsletter!
