Sustainability Challenge
Take the TAC Sustainability Challenge
Each level can be earned by any youth or adult, in or beyond TAC. Cubs are encouraged to complete Blue. Scouts and adults are encouraged to complete Blue and Green.
Definitions and resources are in the Sustainability Challenge Resource Guide and on the TAC website, both at tac-bsa.org/sustainability
You can order a limited-edition patch for each level, when you log your accomplishments in the TAC Sustainability records
You choose how long (duration) and how much (amount) to do each action, unless specified.
The more you do, the more you will improve your impact upon the planet!
Finish the Challenges to earn and purchase a cool limited-edition patch!
To change the world and ensure that a healthy planet is there for the next generations, we need two things: Education & Action. In order for us to measure the action created by the Sustainability Challenge and the impact it has on improving Sustainability around the world, we need to know what you did!
Don’t belong to Boy Scouts of America? Or TAC? No problem! Take the Challenge and share it with your friends and family! All Scouts, Guides, humans, and others are invited to take the Sustainability Challenge! Together we can ensure the future of our planet for the generations to come!
Take the Challenge
1. Energy: Reduce the greenhouse gas impact of your home energy or transportation
2. Food: Reduce the greenhouse gas impact of your diet
3. Food: Reduce the food miles in your family’s meals
4. Waste: Reduce your food waste
5. Waste: Reduce your use of single-use plastics
6. Waste: Increase your family’s recycling of recyclable materials under local rules
7. Biodiversity: Learn what the biodiversity crisis is, why it is happening, and why it matters
8. Service: Take part in a sustainability-related service project (at least 2 hours)
9. Service: Start an activity related to one of the UN / World Scouting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
10. Education: Watch a documentary, read a book or report, or listen to a podcast about a sustainability topic
11. Advocacy: Explain to someone outside of your immediate family what you are doing to improve human impacts upon the planet, and why
12. Advocacy: Log all accomplishments in the TAC Sustainability records
Complete Blue level. Also complete 10 of the following actions, different from what you did at Blue level, including at least one per category:
13. ENERGY
a. Travel by foot, bike or public transport on trips that you would normally take by car
b. Reduce your electricity usage
c. Charge a device using solar or other sustainable energy
d. Research how the energy used in your home is generated, whether more-sustainable sources are available, and the impact of a change
14. FOOD
a. Eat plant-based meals
b. Calculate the greenhouse gas created to serve your family dinners of beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and fish
c. Calculate the greenhouse gas impact of the meals you prepare(d) for First Class cooking requirements
d. Calculate the food miles in your favourite meal
e. Grow something edible
15. WASTE
a. Use a reusable drink container (water bottle, coffee cup, etc)
b. Use reusable food containers
c. Repurpose/upcycle/reuse things your family or unit no longer needs
d. Reduce your water usage
e. Install a means of collecting rainwater or grey water, and use the collected water
f. Compost appropriate waste
16. BIODIVERSITY
a. Plant a tree (or similar large plant appropriate to your location)
b. Plant a window box, wildflowers, a butterfly garden, or an insect garden
c. Build an insect hotel
d. Identify 10 plants or wild animals near your home, and whether they are native or invasive
e. Record the types of plant and animal species in a patch of land. Identify a plant native to the area that was not in your surveyed patch
17. SERVICE
a. Take part in a 2nd sustainability-related service project
b. Take part in a 3rd sustainability-related service project. At least 1 of your projects should be planting trees (or similar large plants appropriate to your location)
c. Learn about, and support financially, an organization that offsets greenhouse gas emissions and supports SDGs
18. EDUCATION
a. Watch a documentary on a sustainability topic
b. Read a book, or an international organisation report, on a sustainability topic
c. Listen to a podcast on a sustainability topic
d. Take part in an Earth Day activity (earthday.org) or an Earth Hour activity (earthhour.org) on any day
e. Create a #Scouts4Sustainbility post or poster to create #SustainabilityAwareness in your community. Add your post or poster to your social media pages and websites
More Josetoons resources can be found and used here: https://josetoons.wordpress.com/tag/tac-sustainability-challenge/
