For our Chief Scout Platinum Award, we had to complete two Tasks from the ICV List, the first one we chose was to run two nights based on the Scouting Values. (For our Values Task).
But for our Community Section, we had to find out about natural and man-made issues in our community. For this, we chose to research about litter and flooding.
Why did you choose these issues?
We chose to research these two issues because we think that the battle against reducing litter is an ongoing problem which is slowing being lost as years go on. The reason for choosing flooding is because it is an issue that affects thousands of people every year and it isn’t always the people whose homes get flooded; sometimes people lose power in the surrounding areas.
What did you learn?
From our research, we learned that the amount of litter depends on the area, for example, the more rural the area, generally the less litter and the more urban the area, the more litter there is. We believe this could be due to the people who mostly visit these areas and the respect they have for the environment. Another thing we learned was that floods can be stopped while enhancing the landscape too. For example planting trees in areas of heavy rainfall. This works by absorbing rainwater when it rains heavy reducing the amount of water in and on the surface of the ground. In turn minimising the chance of a flood.
What could be done about these issues?
There are many things that could be done to prevent both of these issues more so for littering than flooding as we are the only ones to blame for it. Some of these could include:
| Littering: | Flooding: |
| Greater law enforcement, Smaller and more regular bins, Education awareness, Holding onto it, Picking up litter, Having a ‘can be bothered attitude’, |
Slowing the rate of climate change, Better flood defences and preparation, |
Can Explorer Scouts make a difference?
Yes, of course, there is a difference Explorers can make no matter how big or small it is, every little bit counts whether it is by not littering or walking rather than going in a car (to reduce the effect on climate change). If everyone did a little bit then it would make a huge difference, obviously, this is never going to happen but it doesn’t mean you still can’t do it and know that you have done all you can for these two widespread issues!
Our full project report can be read here:
CS Platinum: ICV Community Research Project – Connetts
Matthew & Scott
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Stockton District Explorer Scouts 