One Person ...

CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

I've witnessed it with my own eyes!

I went camping with my old Cub Scout Pack this year. They have been asking me to join them for the last couple of years & the boys schedule had just not allowed me to do so. This year, however, I was able to join them. It was great to go back to NoBe. It is one beautiful camp area; if you can get by the fact that that's where the original Friday The Thirteenth was filmed at and our boys sleep in that cabin...yikers!

The Pack Committee had new requirements this year for all campers (Cubs & family members). All were to bring a mess kit with them. I never did that when I was Cub Master. I figured the kids were too young. When I camped with the WEBELOS at WEBOREE, I did make it mandatory. Stepping stone into Boy Scouts.

This is the "mess kit" I took with me for the weekend. The plate came from the dollar store. The cup came from Campmor, purchased years ago. The utensils came from Campmor - a gift to the boys from us when they joined the Troop. The utensils slide into each other nicely. The knife has a small serrated edge on it. I give these utensils to the winners of our Virtual BINGO each February & March.Let me tell you what -- I am so sorry I did not require all my Cubs to bring mess kits when we went camping as a Pack. The amount of garbage we came home from with 100 people was overwhelming. *shaking head*

The Pack went camping last year with about 30 people. They brought home 12 bags of garbage. This year they went camping with 75 people and brought home 6 bags of garbage. That's right, folks. 6 bags!!!!

They more than DOUBLED the participants but the more impressive fact is that they more than HALVED the garbage. Some of the mess kits did not come with drinking cups & not all brought drinking cups. The Pack has already figured out that they will buy some cheap plastic cups & sell them for $1.00 to all who do not bring or who forgot their own cups next year.

So let's do the math here.

Year 2008 (actual) == 30 people brought home 12 bags of garbage.

Year 2009 (estimate) == 75 people should bring home 30 bags of garbage.

Year 2009 (actual) == 75 people brought home 6 bags of garbage.

2008 -- almost a half a bag of garbage per person was brought home from a 2 day camping trip.

2009 -- One tenth (estimate) of a bag of garbage per person was brought home from a 2 day camping trip. It actually comes out to 12.5 people per bag of garbage for a two day camping trip.

If my math is right, I think they cut their garbage down by a whopping 80% just by using mess kits!!! That is something to share!!!

The savings both financially & environmentally were phenomenal. The responsibility boys gained and green lesson learned

-- PRICELESS --