Earning Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badges

Cleaning Up

9. Leave It Better Than You Found It

Beginner Level

• Why is stewardship of the Earth important to you?
• Why is it important to keep our highways, public places, and outdoor recreational areas litter free?
• What adverse effects can the presence of litter have on the environment and wildlife? Tell us about these problems in three different areas of our world, such as roads, nature, waterways, urban spaces, etc.

Intermediate Level

• Make a point to remove litter from public places whenever you can, especially if it's not your trash. This is our Earth, and as such, we need to be mindful of waste—even if we didn't contribute to it directly.
• Pair litter cleanup with conscious waste removal practices by ensuring collected waste is disposed of properly (recycling, composting, landfill).
• To earn the intermediate-level badge, do this on five separate occasions.

Expert Level

• Research ways you can get involved in your community's efforts to control littering.
• Host a hour-long litter removal get-together within your community, a popular outdoor recreational area, or along a highway. (If attempting this level during the COVID-19 pandemic, this step can be achieved by hosting a litter removal with members of your household, or by accomplishing two litter removal events by yourself.)
• Research the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the controversy of why it hasn't been cleaned up.

January, 2021 Edition