Water Conservation

“Water, water, everywhere. Nor any a drop to drink.”

This famous line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem”The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is known by many. We too are surrounded by water (70% of the earth’s surface), yet only a small amount is suitable for drinking. The Caring For My Environment merit badge focuses on being good stewards of the natural resources that God has given us. This goes back to the being responsible portion of the AHG Oath.

Requirement #10 has the Explorer level girls make a list of the at least 5 ways to conserve water at home.  I created a simple printout for the girls to use with this requirement. (Right click on the image below to save a pdf version for your use.)

As an adult there are countless ways we can conserve water. However, as leaders / parents it is important that we focus on practical ways that the girls can conserve water. Here are just a few ideas.

• Take shorter showers
• Turn of the tap water while brushing your teeth
• Do not change clothes multiple times a day. This creates more laundry, which uses more water.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge. This means you will not have to run the tap unnecessarily waiting for the water to cool down when you want a drink.
• Use a broom, not a hose to clean the drive way and side-walk.
• Re-use your bath towels
• Only run the dishwasher or washing machine when there is a full load
• Limit the number of glasses you use throughout the day.
• When playing in the sprinkler, do not let the water run-off into the streets.
• When you drop an ice-cube on the floor, instead of putting it in the sink put it in a house plant.

NOTE: The merit badge requirement has been greatly simplified here. Please be sure to read the full text in the Girl Handbook to make sure you fully understand the requirements.