Setting a Sustainable Example

I just wrapped up our 2014 Sustainability Summit and wanted to give you some highlights of what we covered the last few days.

It was a terrific experience. We had environmental experts with both national and global credentials helping us define what our next steps should be to build upon and expand our existing vision of sustainability.

We heard from experts in farming, the automotive industry, solar energy, federal government initiatives, global exploring, conservation, education. We heard about how to approach sustainability through one’s faith. We came together as one voice to move from the “initiative” stage as good stewards of the environment and make plans to put real sustainable practices into place, like the sustainable designs and operations practices of the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve near Beckley, W.V. Our experts were able to see the Summit’s sustainable innovations first hand during a tour of the site.

I was honored to be among the speakers, sharing Scouting’s sustainability timeline and our accomplishments to date. As I reflected on my start with Scouting as a boy, I realized what huge advances we have witnessed since “leaving each campsite as we found it” and moving on to integrating sustainability into every level of our organization. We are committed to developing the next generation of environmental leaders as a champion of the outdoors. Even things as simple as what paper we use to print our publications came up for discussion. Since 2009, both Boys’ Life and Scouting magazines have been printed on paper certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, which is dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management. We’re also making changes to offer our core publications electronically.

We have many more sustainability chapters in our history and to write for the future, including innovative Eagle Scout projects, sustainable camps, our commitment to diversity, and how we give back to the communities we serve. But what’s more important is that these examples prompted additional thinking among our experts at this year’s Sustainability Summit on how to apply these and other measures to promote sustainability on a broader scale outside of Scouting.

Where do we go from here? That’s partly up to you. We all play a role in sustainability and need to depend on each other to make a difference in our communities, as a nation, and as a global partner. How do you see yourselves as leaders in sustainability? Share your thoughts here!

Thanks!

Wayne