Blue Ridge Mountains Council

Congratulations to the Blue Ridge Mountains council of the Boy Scouts of America for the $1,000 Green Grants award for implementing a Recycling program!

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

The Blue Ridge Mountains Council operates a Summer Camp in Pulaski County. This summer they are anticipating over 2500 Scouts to attend the program. The Conservation Committee set a goal to implement a recycling program at the camps to reduce waste, educate Scouts on the importance of recycling, and be better stewards of the environment.

The Recycling program for Summer Camp will be implemented in three specific areas.

1. The dining facility produces a significant amount of recycle material, mostly in the form of carboard containers from food packaging. By renting a compactor dumpster for the summer they will be able to significantly reduce the volume of waste by recycling the cardboard.

2. Placing recycle bins in high traffic areas around the camp will give campers the ability to separate plastic and aluminum from other waste generated during the summer, which will reduce the amount of trash sent to the landfill.

3. Signage will be created to educate Scouts on the importance of recycling, and how they can start their own recycling program at home.

Through the implementation of this project the Blue Ridge Mountains Council will be able to educate over 2500 youth on the importance of reduce, reuse, and recycle. One objective of Scouts attending summer camp is to earn Merit Badges. The Boy Scouts of America has 138 merit badges available for Scouts to earn, of which our summer camp program offers more than 50 different Merit Badges, with a total of 11 being offered by the Nature Department. Those include: Nature, Soil & Water Conservation, Environmental Science, Reptile Study, Insect Study, Bird Study, Forestry, Geology, Weather, Fish & Wildlife Management, Fishing, and Wilderness Survival, to name a few.

By incorporating a recycling program on the property each of the Merit Badges will reinforce the importance of reduce, reuse, and recycle.