World Scout Environment badge

The World Scout Environment badge seeks to create an awareness of personal responsibility for the environment. The badge encourages Scouts to connect with nature, think about how we interact with the environment, and take action to protect it. The environment is a global subject, and the badge focuses on learning about local and global issues and how taking local action can help both of these. It is hoped that achieving the badge is the first step in awakening enthusiasm for the natural world and creating a generation of Scouts who care about the environment and are prepared to take action to protect it.

The badge is based on the principles and aims for environment education in Scouting. It is carried out in two stages: "Explore and Reflect" and "Take Action".

Explore and Reflect: Complete activities based on each of the five aims for environmental education in Scouting. Scouts are working towards a world where:

1. People and natural systems have clean water and clean air.
2. Sufficient natural habitat exists to support native species.
3. The risk of harmful substances to people and the environment are minimised.
4. The most suitable environmental practices are used.
5. People are prepared to respond to environmental hazards and natural disasters.

Take Action: Do an environmental project that relates to the previous learning and to the local environment.

It is a specialist badge and is therefore worn at the base of the right sleeve.

Requirements

11-14 years old

1. People and natural systems have clean water and clean air.
   1. Explore the sources of clean water and clean air in your environment.
   2. Identify threats to clean water and clean air in the local and global environment and be able to suggest solutions.
2. Sufficient natural habitat exists to support native species.
   1. Explore a local nature area.
   2. Understand the ecosystem connections of native species of plants and animals and their habitat needs.
   3. Be aware of global conservation issues affecting biodiversity
3. The risk of harmful substances to people and the environment are minimised.
   1. Be aware of harmful substances in the local environment and identify their source.
   2. Demonstrate what personal action can be taken to reduce the risk of harmful substances to people and the broader environment
4. The most suitable environmental practices are used.
   1. Recognise how we are connected with the environment and how we can make informed choices about our actions that can minimise the impact on the environment.
   2. Identify potential better environmental practices fro your local area.Demonstrate how local solutions can impact global issues.
5. People are prepared to respond to environmental hazards and natural.
   1. Be able to recognise different types of environmental hazards and natural disasters and explain why they occur.
   2. Demonstrate how to help other people to be prepared to respond to environmental hazards and natural disasters in the local area.
6. Do an environmental project that relates to the previous learning and to the local environment.
   1. Identify local environmental issues and potential solutions.
   2. Plan and execute an environmental project.
   3. Understand the local to global connection of the project

15+ years old

1. People and natural systems have clean water and clean air.
   1. Explore the sources of clean water and clean air in the local environment.
   2. Demonstrate the relationship of personal actions to the availability of clean water and clean air in the local and global environment
2. Sufficient natural habitat exists to support native species.
   1. Explore a local natural area.
   2. Understand the ecosystem connections of native species of plants and animals and their habitat needs.
   3. Demonstrate the relationship between personal actions and the availability of sufficient natural habitat to support native species.
   4. Be aware of global conservation issues affecting biodiversity.
3. The risk of harmful substances to people and the environment are minimised.
   1. Explain the local impact of harmful substances to people and the broader environment and what can be done by individuals, groups and the community to reduce the risk.
   2. Understand the global impact of harmful substances and how local actions can change the global environment.
4. The most suitable environmental practices are used.
   1. Explain how our choice of action and responsibility as an individual, group or community and country can affect the environment.
   2. Understand how we can change our actions to improve our impact on the environment.
   3. Demonstrate how local solutions can impact global issues.
5. People are prepared to respond to environmental hazards and natural.
   1. Be able to recognise different types of environmental hazards and natural disasters and explain why they occur.
   2. Demonstrate how to help other people to be prepared to respond to environmental hazards and natural disasters in the local area.
   3. Explain how changes to the environment can influence environmental hazards and natural disasters.
6. Do an environmental project that relates to the previous learning and to the local environment.
   1. Identify local environmental issues and potential solutions.
   2. Plan and execute an environmental project
   3. Understand the local to global connections of the project.
   4. Evaluate the results of the project for the Scouts, the community and the environment.

See also

• World Scout Environment Badge - SCOUTS South Africa
• World Scout Environment Badge requirements
• World Scout Environment Programme for more information on the programme requirements, as well as activity sheets and other resources.