Transatlantic Council Boy Scouts of America

Sustainability Challenge 2021 Full Workbook

The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it --Robert Swan, polar explorer

In 2020, the Transatlantic Council BSA (TAC) launched its Sustainability Mission:

TAC will set the gold standard in Scouting for efforts to ​ ​ improve human impacts upon the planet

We will achieve that by incorporating sustainability practices and training throughout our program, focused on impacts upon the natural world – the topics addressed in the Sustainability merit badge. We will be thousands of advocates for the planet in the Anthropocene age. Our youth will change their own futures.

This mission involves every participant in TAC Scouting: group action at the unit, district, and council levels; and individual action by every youth and adult member in TAC and their families. We support the sustainability efforts of Scouting throughout the BSA and throughout the world. We must all care for the world we inherited, to ensure that future generations enjoy the same joys and privileges of the outdoors that we do.

Take the TAC Sustainability Challenge 2021

Join the movement to improve human impacts upon the planet. The challenge is open to anyone. Finish the challenge before the end of 2021. Earn a cool limited-edition patch! ​ ​

Choose the set of requirements that is right for you: Cub Challenge (5-10 year olds); ​ ​ Scout and Adult Challenge (11-18 year olds, and all adults); Venturer / Sea Scout / Explorer ​ ​ Challenge (14-21 year olds); Unit Challenge (groups) ​ ​

See tac-bsa.org/Sustainability to download the workbook, find links to resources, log ​ ​ your accomplishments, and see the impact we are having together.

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Completing the challenge The challenge is for every youth and adult, including BSA members in every council, Scouts and Guides around the world, and non-scouting families. If you are in TAC or another BSA council, please complete the challenge based on your BSA program. If you are not a BSA member, choose a challenge based on your age. The challenge can be completed on your own, or as part of a group from the same unit. You must complete the TAC Sustainability Challenge 2021 before 31 December 2021; there will be a new TAC Sustainability ​ ​ Challenge in 2022.

If you are not yet in Scouting, are aged 5-21, and are an expat living in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia or Africa, please consider joining TAC! We have an unparalleled program. See here for details. ​ What will you get by completing the challenge?

First, you will have taken action to ensure the future enjoyment of the outdoors for yourself, your family, your friends, fellow Scouts and future generations. What elements of the challenge can you adopt into your regular day? Week? Month?

And, you will be able to order a limited-edition Sustainability Challenge 2021 patch when your accomplishments are logged on the TAC website.

Why do you need to log your accomplishments? To change the world and ensure that a healthy planet is there for the next generations, we need two things: Education & Action. To measure the action created by the Sustainability ​ ​ ​ ​ Challenge and the impact it has on improving Sustainability around the world, we need to know what you did! We will update our web page regularly to show our collective impact.

How to log accomplishments; Challenge Coordinator If you complete the challenge on your own, please log your data into the TAC Sustainability ​ Challenge page. If multiple people from the same unit or other group are taking the ​ challenge, one youth or adult must play the role of Challenge Coordinator, who should: (1) review the Record of each participant; (2) compile the data from all Records in the unit; and (3) log the accomplishments in the TAC Sustainability Challenge page. If people in the group complete their challenges at different times, the Challenge Coordinator can submit the accomplishments in batches, for example, monthly; you don’t have to wait until the last person completes the challenge.

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Transatlantic Council Boy Scouts of America

Cub Challenge 2021

Requirements - Cub Challenge ​

1. Food: Help prepare a vegetarian dinner 2. Waste: Help separate your family’s trash for recycling, using local rules 3. Biodiversity: Identify 10 plants or wild animals near your home 4. Explain to someone outside of your immediate family what you are doing to improve human impacts upon the planet, and why 5. Complete four of the following:

a. Grow a plant, or plant a tree b. Build an insect hotel c. Use a reusable drink container for 2 weeks d. Calculate the greenhouse gas created to serve your family dinners of beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and fish e. Calculate the food miles in your favourite meal f. Learn about two of the Sustainable Development Goals at Scouts for SDGs (sdgs.scout.org). Start an activity related to one of the SDGs ​ ​ g. Take part in an Earth Day activity (earthday.org) on any day ​ ​ h. Take part in Earth Hour (earthhour.org) on 27 March 2021 ​ ​ i. Watch a documentary or read a book about a sustainability topic

6. Log all accomplishments in the TAC Sustainability records ​

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Resources - Cub Challenge ​

The following resources can help you complete the challenge. Each link has loads of pictures and interesting information. They are suggestions, and are just a start. If a resource is not available where you live, use your best judgement in the spirit of the challenge to find an alternative. More are available on the TAC Sustainability Resources page. ​ ​ ​

The “Anthropocene” website of the Natural History Museum (London) is an excellent ​ all-around resource on these topics

Requirement 1: Vegetarian Recipes ​ ​

Requirement 3: Use Google Lens, PlantSnap, another plant classification app, Plants of ​ ​ ​ ​ Europe, or a reference book to identify ​

Requirement 5a: Start a window box; Plant wildflowers; Butterfly garden ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Requirement 5b: Plans for an insect hotel; More plans for an insect hotel ​ ​ ​ ​

Requirement 5d: Chart of food choice greenhouse gas emissions; Discussion of food ​ ​ ​ ​ choice greenhouse gas emissions; BBC Diet Carbon Footprint calculator ​ ​

Requirement 5e: Read the labels to see where the main ingredients in your meal came ​ from. Then use the Food Miles Calculator, or Measure Distance in Google Maps. ​ ​ ​ ​

Requirement 5f: Scouts for Sustainable Development goals ​ ​

Requirement 5g: Earth Day website ​ ​

Requirement 5h: Earth Hour Website ​ ​

Requirement 5i: Some suggestions (more on the TAC Sustainability Resources page): ​ ​ ​ “David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet” (documentary film; highly recommended) ​ ​ “No One is Too Small to Make a Difference”, Greta Thunberg (collection of speeches) Sustainability for Kids - the Touring Teacher (video) ​ Operation Sustainability - a story on the world´s most important customer

Requirement 6: Fill out (individual) or get your Challenge Coordinator (group) to fill out the ​ records log on the TAC Sustainability Challenge webpage. ​

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Record keeping - Cub Challenge ​

Name: District: ​ ​ Unit: ​

# Requirement Date

1 Food: Help prepare a vegetarian dinner

2 Waste: Help separate your family’s trash for recycling, using local rules

3 Biodiversity: Identify 10 plants Which plants/animals did you find? or wild animals near your home

4 Explain to someone outside What are you doing and why? Who did of your immediate family what you tell? you are doing to improve human impacts upon the planet, and why

5 Complete four of the following

5a Grow a plant, or plant a tree

5b Build an insect hotel

5c Use a reusable drink container for 2 weeks

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5d Calculate the greenhouse Beef: gas created to serve your Lamb: family dinners of beef, lamb, Pork: pork, chicken, and fish Chicken: Fish:

5e Calculate the food miles in your favourite meal

5f Learn about two of the Which two SDGs? What activity? Sustainable Development goals at Scouts for SDGs (sdgs.scout.org). Start an activity related to one of the SDGs

5g Take part in an Earth Day What activity? activity (earthday.org) on any day

5h Take part in Earth Hour (earthhour.org) on 27 March 2021

5i Watch a documentary or read Which documentary or book? a book about a sustainability topic

6 Log all accomplishments in If you are completing the challenge with the TAC Sustainability your unit, give this information to your records Challenge Coordinator

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Scout and Adult Challenge 2021

Requirements - Scout and Adult Challenge ​

1. Energy: Reduce your home energy and/or transportation carbon footprint. (You choose the duration and amount.) Calculate the carbon you saved 2. Water: Reduce your water usage. (You choose the duration and amount.) Calculate the number of liters you saved 3. Food: Reduce your food waste. (You choose the duration and amount.) Calculate the amount of food waste you prevented 4. Food: Reduce the greenhouse gas impact of your diet. (You choose the duration and amount.) Calculate the Co2-equivalent savings 5. Food: Reduce the food miles in your family’s meals. (You choose the duration and amount.) Calculate the miles you saved 6. Waste: Reduce your use of single-use plastics. (You choose the duration and amount.) 7. Waste: Increase your family’s recycling of recyclable materials under local procedures. (You choose the duration and amount.) 8. Biodiversity: Use Ecosia for your internet searches. (You choose the duration and amount.) Note the number of trees they planted with your searches (ecosia.org) ​ ​ 9. Select one of the Sustainable Development Goals at Scouts for SDGs ​ (sdgs.scout.org). Start an activity related to this goal and report it on their website 10. Explain to people outside of your immediate family what you are doing to improve human impacts upon the planet, and why 11. Log all accomplishments in the TAC Sustainability records: challenge completed, ​ ​ service hours, trees planted, carbon saved, SDGs supported, etc. 12. Complete 10 of the following, including at least one per category:

a. WASTE i. Use a reusable drink container (water bottle, coffee cup, etc) for 1 month ii. Use only reusable food containers for 1 month iii. Repurpose/upcycle/reuse things your family or unit no longer needs iv. Install a means of collecting rainwater or grey water. Use the collected water

b. FOOD i. Eat at least 10 vegetarian/vegan meals per week for a month ii. Calculate the greenhouse gas impact of the meals you prepare(d) for First Class cooking requirements iii. Grow something edible

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iv. Compost all appropriate waste for 1 month (estimate its weight in kg) c. ENERGY i. Travel by foot, bike or public transport once per week for 1 month on a trip that you would normally take by car ii. Reduce your electricity usage for 1 month, and calculate the reduction iii. Charge a device using solar or other sustainable energy for 2 weeks iv. Research how the energy used in your home is generated, whether more-sustainable sources are available, and the impact of a change d. BIODIVERSITY i. Plant a window box, wildflowers, a butterfly garden, or an insect garden ii. Identify 3 types of plant, collect their seeds and store them to create a seed bank. Swap seeds with someone to add another seed to your seed bank iii. Build an insect hotel iv. Record the types of plant and animal species in a 50 square meter patch. Identify a plant native to the area that was not in your surveyed patch e. SERVICE i. Take part in a sustainability service project (minimum 2 hours) ii. Plant at least one tree -- preferably several (using Ecosia doesn’t count) iii. Participate in a trash pickup. Post photos of trash picked using a media channel of your choice under the tag #TACcleanup f. EDUCATION i. Watch a documentary on a sustainability topic. Share what you learned with others inside and/or outside Scouting ii. Take part in an Earth Day activity (earthday.org) on any day; or take part in ​ ​ Earth Hour (earthhour.org) on 27 March 2021 ​ ​ iii. Listen to a podcast on a sustainability topic. Share what you learned with others inside and/or outside Scouting iv. Read a book, or an international organisation report, on a sustainability topic v. Create a #Scouts4Sustainbility post or poster to create #SustainabilityAwareness in your community. Add your post or poster to your social media pages and websites, using those tags

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Resources - Scout and Adult Challenge ​

The following resources can help you complete the challenge. Each link has loads of pictures and interesting information. They are suggestions, and are just a start. If a resource is not available where you live, use your best judgement in the spirit of the challenge to find an alternative. More are available on the TAC Sustainability Resources page. ​ ​ ​

The “Anthropocene” website of the Natural History Museum (London) is an excellent ​ all-around resource on these topics

Carbon Conversations’ Workbook provides activities for group meetings, and detailed ​ guidance on monitoring and reducing your footprint

Requirement 1: Carbon Footprint Calculator (website) or Carbon Conversations’ Carbon ​ ​ ​ ​ Footprint Calculator (google sheet)

Requirement 2: Measure the amount of water being used with a measuring jug, or read ​ your household water meter to establish a baseline. Implement water saving activities, and re-measure your usage.

Requirement 3: Before throwing any food away, put it in a suitable container and use a ​ kitchen scale to measure its mass. Alternatively, when throwing food waste away as compost, weigh your compost bag/container on a weekly basis (or before emptying). Take a baseline measurement before starting the requirement, and another measurement after implementing food waste reduction activities.

Requirement 4: If you eat meat, the biggest impact comes from reducing the amounts of ​ beef, lamb and cheese in your diet. Chart of food choice greenhouse gas emissions; ​ ​ Discussion of food choice greenhouse gas emissions; BBC Diet Carbon Footprint calculator ​ ​

Requirement 5: Read the labels to see where the main ingredients in your meal came from. ​ Then use the Food Miles Calculator, or Measure Distance in Google Maps. ​ ​ ​ ​

Requirement 6: One method is to bring reusable shopping bags when you shop. ​

Requirement 7: Calculate the amount of materials that are recycled and those that go to ​ waste. Aim to recycle as much waste as possible. Search online for details of local recycling procedures -- some materials are recyclable in some locations and not others. Rinse food off of kitchen recyclables before recycling, to avoid an entire load of recyclable materials being rejected by the recycling plant.

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Requirement 8: When using Ecosia to search the web, it takes approximately 45 searches ​ ​ ​ to finance the planting of one tree. Depending on the number of ad clicks and how much revenue they generate for Ecosia, it may take fewer searches. Ecosia shows you how many trees you helped plant. Their FAQ explains how Ecosia works and where they plant trees. ​ ​

Requirement 9: Scouts for Sustainable Development Goals ​ ​

Requirement 10: Here are just some of the possibilities: Lead or participate in a discussion ​ at a patrol or troop meeting; with extended family members; at school or work; or in other settings. Post your explanations on social media. Write letters to legislators supporting particular actions.

Requirement 11: Fill out (individual) or get your Challenge Coordinator (group) to fill out the ​ records log on the Sustainability Challenge webpage. ​

WATER Requirement 12a(iv): According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, during an average ​ rainstorm more than 700 gallons of water run off the roof of a typical home. After a rainstorm, water runs off buildings and pavement into local waterways, bringing pollution with it. By capturing rainwater with rain barrels and water gardens, you can reduce the amount of runoff going back into the environment, and use the captured water for plants or other non-potable water uses.

FOOD Requirement 12b(i): Vegetarian Recipes; More Recipes ​ ​ ​ ​ Requirement 12b(ii): Chart of food choice greenhouse gas emissions; Discussion of food ​ ​ ​ ​ choice greenhouse gas emissions; BBC Diet Carbon Footprint calculator ​ ​ Requirement 12b(iii): Start a vegetable garden; Grow food in a window box ​ ​ ​ ​ Requirement 12b(iv): Guide to compost ​ ​

ENERGY Requirement 12c(ii): If you are able to access your electricity meter, record a baseline ​ usage of electricity for 1 week. Divide by 7, then multiply by the number of days in the month. Implement electricity reduction measures and record the energy usage for 1 month. Compare your baseline and reduced numbers. If you are unable to access your electricity meter, use an Online Energy Calculator to ​ ​ calculate a baseline of your current electricity usage. Implement electricity reduction measures and recalculate your usage. Compare your baseline and reduced numbers.

Requirement 12c(iii): Some possibilities: ​

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Use a portable solar panel to charge a device. You might charge a portable battery pack using a solar panel, and then use the battery pack to charge the device. Charge your device using someone else’s solar energy generation. This is possible at some businesses, schools, public buildings, stores, and public charging stations. Charge using wind power Charge using motion-generated power, like a hand-cranked charge. Here are some ideas ​

Requirement 12c(iv): Find out which company supplies your household electricity. ​ Research on their website or published material how they generate their electricity. Do they offer different plans where customers can choose how their electricity is generated? Are there other companies your household could be using for electricity, and do they generate their electricity differently? Discuss with your family how the way your electricity is generated impacts your family and the world, and what different options there are to get your electricity.

BIODIVERSITY Requirement 12d(i): Start a window box; Plant wildflowers; Butterfly garden ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Requirement 12d(ii): Use Google Lens, PlantSnap, another plant classification app, Plants ​ ​ ​ ​ of Europe, or a reference book to identify. Store seeds properly, ​ ​ ​ Requirement 12d(iii): Plans for an insect hotel; More plans for an insect hotel ​ ​ ​ ​ Requirement 12d(iv): For plants, see 12d(ii). Use evidence of animals to identify what ​ species they could be.

SERVICE Requirement 12e(i): Service projects must be sustainability focussed. Service hours can be ​ in a group or individual project. Requirement 12e(ii): Benefits of tree planting; Steps for tree planting ​ ​ ​ ​ Requirement 12e(iii): Why pick up trash; How to do safely; Scouts Trash the Trash Day ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

EDUCATION Requirement 12f(i): Some suggested documentaries: ​ David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet Game Changers Fools & Dreamers: Regenerating a Native Forest Chasing Coral Chasing Ice

Requirement 12f(ii): Earth Day website ​ Earth Hour Website

Requirement 12f(iii): Some suggested podcasts: ​ 14 great sustainability podcasts Environmental podcasts

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Requirement 12f(iv): Some suggested books and reports: ​ “The Uninhabitable Earth”, David Wallace-Wells (highly recommended) “A Life on our Planet”, David Attenborough (highly recommended) “No One is Too Small to Make a Difference”, Greta Thunberg (youth campaigner with a global impact) “There is No Planet B”, Mike Berners-Lee “Silent Spring”, Rachel Carson (the book that launched the environmental movement) “We are the weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast”, Jonathan Safran Foer “The Green Teen: The Eco-Friendly Teen's Guide to Saving the Planet”, Jenn Savedge “47 Things You Can Do for the Environment”, Lexi Petronis “Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life”, Linda Sivertsen “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat”, Michael Pollan (also in a “Young Readers Edition”) UN Global Sustainable Development Reports EU Sustainable Development Reports Reports of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPBES Biodiversity Report

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Record keeping - Scout and Adult Challenge ​

Name: District: ​ ​ Unit: ​ # Requirement Baseline New Date measurements measurements and savings made

1 Energy: Reduce your home Current carbon New carbon energy and/or transportation footprint: footprint: carbon footprint Saved carbon:

2 Water: Reduce your water Current water New water usage usage usage (L): (L):

Saved water (L):

3 Food: Reduce your food Current food waste New food waste waste (kg): (kg):

Saved food waste (kg):

4 Food: Reduce the Current New greenhouse gas impact of CO2-equivalent: CO2-equivalent: your diet Saved CO2-equivalent:

5 Food: Reduce your food Current food miles: New food miles: miles Saved food miles:

6 Waste: Reduce your use of single-use plastics

7 Waste: Increase your family’s recycling

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8 Biodiversity: Use Ecosia for How many trees did you help plant (not your internet searches searches completed) using Ecosia?

9 Start an activity related to Which SDG? What activity? one of the Sustainable Development Goals

10 Explain what you are doing and why

11 Log all accomplishments Fill out the records log, or give your record ​ ​ to your Challenge Coordinator

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Venturer / Sea Scout / Explorer Challenge 2021

Requirements - V/SS/E Challenge ​

1. Complete all portions of the Scout and Adult Challenge 2021, deleting any two ​ ​ of requirements 1-8 2. Select a Clean Beaches activity in a lake, river, or sea near you (Sea Scouts); or select a forest, park or nature reserve near you (Venturer & Explorer). Conduct a local drive to clean this area. Share a story in a media channel of your choice with photos. If using social media use #TACcleanup. Record the number of volunteer hours from your Cleanup activity. 3. Act as an advocate for Sustainability by creating a communication to create Sustainability Awareness in your Community. This could take the form of a social media post (#SustainabilityAwareness + #SustainabilityVenturers or #SustainabilitySeaScouts), a poster, blog post, webpage, or something of your own choosing to reach the maximum number of people in your community.

Resources and Record keeping - V/SS/E Challenge ​

See the materials at the Scout and Adult Challenge 2021

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Unit Challenge 2021

Requirements - Unit Challenge ​

1. Participation: 25% of active youth complete the relevant TAC Sustainability Challenge 2021 2. Values: Begin or continue to recite the Outdoor Code at every meeting, after the Scout Oath and Scout Law 3. Leadership (Troops): Outdoor Ethics Guide position of responsibility actively filled 4. Advancement (Troops): Merit Badge counsellor positions for Sustainability MB and Environmental Science MB actively filled 5. Program: Run a sustainability-themed unit meeting 6. Program: Create a unit sustainable camping plan. Include transport, menu design, cooking methods, campfires, waste minimization, trash minimization, and cleaning 7. Food: At one event prepare and serve only vegetarian food, or have a patrol or den challenge for lowest greenhouse gas impact meal prepared 8. Service: Complete at least one unit sustainability-related service project, with total service hours at least equal to 2x the total number of unit youth. For tree planting, count the number of trees 9. Log all accomplishments in the TAC Sustainability records

Resources - Unit Challenge ​

BSA literature: Scout Handbook; Fieldbook; Merit Badge pamphlets for Energy, Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Management, Forestry, Nature, Oceanography, Plant Science, Public Health, Soil and Water Conservation, and Weather (all available on Kindle app from Amazon). Link to Sustainability MB requirements and resources

The “Anthropocene” website of the Natural History Museum (London) is an excellent ​ all-around resource on these topics

Carbon Conversations’ Workbook provides activities for group meetings, and detailed ​ guidance on monitoring and reducing your footprint

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Requirement 2: The Outdoor Code: As a Scout, I will do my best to: be clean in my outdoor ​ ​ manners; be careful with fire; be considerate in the outdoors; and be conservation minded.

Requirement 3: Outdoor Ethics Guide Handbook; Outdoor Ethics Guide Duties ​ ​ ​ ​

Requirement 5: The meeting could be geared around achieving one of the relevant youth ​ challenge points. The BSA Troop Leader Resources have further ideas: Sustainability troop program features, with meeting ideas Nature and Environment troop program features, with meeting ideas

Requirement 6: Sustainable camping plan idea list ​ ​

Requirement 7: Chart of food choice greenhouse gas emissions; Discussion of food choice ​ ​ ​ ​ greenhouse gas emissions; BBC Diet Carbon Footprint calculator; Vegetarian Recipes; More ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Recipes

Requirement 8: Multiple service projects can be used to achieve the overall goal. Example ​ service projects include tree planting, trash pick up, waterway clean up, promoting biodiversity. The more lasting impact, the better: planting a tree has a much longer lasting impact than picking up trash. “Scouts Trash the Trash Day” is 1 May 2021. During Covid-19 restrictions, service projects not currently possible for entire troops might be possible as patrols or individual families; follow local restrictions, and take all appropriate precautions.

Requirement 9: Challenge Coordinator to fill out the records log on the Sustainability ​ ​ ​ Challenge webpage

Thank you to the TAC Sustainability Committee for their work in preparing the challenge. The TAC Sustainability Committee is a multinational group of Scouters committed to helping TAC think Sustainability first in all of their programs, camps, and activities. Special thanks to Matt May, Dean Menegas, Jude Michell, Jose Lepervanche, and Andrew Wright who challenge you to take the TAC Sustainability Challenge 2021!

All contents © 2021 Transatlantic Council, Boy Scouts of America

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