Environment News
Read the latest news about Scouting and the environment and discover the great impact that Scouting activities have on the future of our planet
The 28th November 2011 marked the beginning of COP17/CMP7 in Durban South Africa. The World Organisation of the Scout Movement has a delegation present and will be fully participating inside of the conference until it ends on the 9th December. The WOSM exhibition stand is attractively displaying best practises from around the world; projects run at every level and from every corner of the movement are without exception being marvelled at.
Promotion of the SCENES network is running full speed at the Jamboree in Sweden. We are only half way through the camp and already more than a thousand scouts have stopped by and tried our different activities.
What would the world be like if designed by Scouts? If you could let your imagine go wild and bring a new species to life, what would it look like? How can we make a difference in our home societies so that we live in a more harmonious world for people and nature?
These are some of the questions being explored by Scouts at workshops being ran by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as part of the Global Development Village (GDV) at the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden.
At 8.30 PM (local time) on Saturday 26 March 2011, lights will be switched off around the globe for Earth Hour. Every household of the over 31 million Scouts in the 161 member countries of WOSM all over the world, can set a global record by coming together in action for a common cause – the planet. BP said ‘ Leave this world a little better than you found it’ yes; you can do it by just going ‘beyond the hour’. Please be in solidarity with the distinguished members of World Scout Committee and the World Youth Advisors as they lead by action in Geneva at this time and date.
Thinking of a simple way to care for the environment and involve Scouts from around the world, Lucas Guilherme a Scout from the Rattlesnake Scout Group in Brazil had the idea to use the Internet as a tool (social networks, email and websites) to encourage every Scout to plant a tree!
His whole idea is based on the 7th Millennium Development Goal which is to “Ensure environmental sustainability”.
As you will see, it is really easy to take part...
During the World Scout Conference held in Korea, 2008, a small team from The Web of Hope carried out a professional analysis of the carbon footprint of this event. Two technical reports have been received and a third report has recently been written to explore what can be done with the information - how it can be used by NSOs, by Scouts at local level and by WOSM to see how we can reduce the carbon footprint of our Scout activities.
The second SCENES (Scout Centres of Excellence for nature and Environment) seminar took place at Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) from the 18th to 23rd May. The programme allowed many opportunities for sharing environmental ideas between existing Centres-both existing SCENES Centres and centres interested in becoming a SCENES Centre. Participants came from different professional backgrounds (some from environmental fields but most were not) and had varying degrees of experience in enviromental management of their Centre.
Since 2007, the last Saturday of March is no longer just a Saturday. It has become a significant day. It is when people all over the world unite together for a common cause to help save our environment. It is Earth Hour.
The Singapore Scout Association first started observing Earth Hour in 2009 when Singapore officially pledged for Earth Hour. WWF Singapore then approached the NSO and invited us to be one of their supporting partners, right after the World Organisation of Scout Movement reinforced their long-term partnership with WWF for Earth Hour at the end of 2008 following the recommendations of Scouts at the 10th World Scout Youth Forum in Korea. Once again in 2010, The Singapore Scout Association became one of the supporting partners of WWF Singapore's Earth Hour Concert at Esplanade Park, Singapore, on 27th March 2010.
Clean Up the World Weekend on 17–19 September is fast approaching. It’s a weekend for celebrating your year-round achievements or organising your own local activity.
This year, in support of the United Nation’s 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, Clean Up the World encourages National Scout Organisations and Scout Groups to join the campaign to focus on protecting biodiversity in your community – that’s protecting the variety and wonder of your local nature.
In the Clean up the World Report for 2009, World Scouting receives recognition for its support to Clean up the World (CUW). CUW works in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and in its Global Activity Report, launched to support World Environment Day on 5 June, WOSM is recognised as a key 'Ally'. Scout activities are highlighted in the report.
Activities ranged from cleaning up small villages to national clean up events. Across many regions, communities also implemented recycling programmes, energy conservation, tree planting and awareness raising activities.
