We are the 2nd Chilliwack Girl Guide Unit in Chilliwack, B.C.. Our third-year Girl Guides planned and led a meeting to help the other girls in the Unit earn the National Service Project: Operation Earth Action crest. The main activity, Making Your Own Green Cleaning Products, was only one element of the evening which also included a group pledge and a recycling game. Our pledge may appear ‘wordy’ but it was the result of five enthusiastic girls who, after doing some research, were super motivated to make a difference.
Our Pledge to the Earth:
We, the Girls and Guiders of the 2nd Chilliwack Girl Guide Unit, pledge to do more for the Earth than recycle; to do more for nature by reducing the amount of garbage and pollution we produce!
We will choose to use re-useable water bottles and cups at our weekly meetings, camps and events instead of disposable dishware. With the knowledge we gain tonight about non-biodegradable ingredients in cleaning products, we promise to make better choices when we shop.
We will avoid buying products that are over-packaged or ‘disposable’ and take reusable totes to the store.
We will reduce the amount of energy we waste by: turning off lights and unplugging electrical devices we aren’t using and not running the water when we brush our teeth or wash our face.
Each of us will strive to leave a healthier eco-system for future generations to enjoy. This is our pledge to the Earth!
After everyone in the Unit participated in making/signing the pledge and playing the recycling game, we broke into smaller groups and were led by the third years through three different green cleaning product stations where each girl made their own shampoo, laundry detergent and facial mask. Here is a testimonial from Natalia, one of our third-year Guides who helped lead the night:
“What I learned at our Operation Earth Challenge Meeting was how to make your own environmentally friendly laundry soap, shampoo, and face masks. All the ingredients were natural, organic, and won’t harm the environment. We also made up and played a game called “Recycle Depot.” It was a mix of Rock, Paper, Scissors, What Time is it Mr. Wolf? and tag. What I learned is how to help the environment by cutting down on your waste, making your own green products, and mainly saving the environment. We can all do little things that make a big difference in our world. I was glad to help lead this night. I think everyone had a lot of fun!”
By guest blogger and Guider Shelagh Goff. 2nd Chilliwack Girl Guides. [Photo Credit: Guider Carol Murphy.]
Have you done an activity for our National Service Project? Don’t forget to log your actions and share your photos with us!
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