Blog / December 18th, 2019
Fighting plastic pollution
Assistant Leader and Action For Change participant Vicky tells us about her A4C project and how it turned into a much bigger campaign on plastic pollution…
In November 2018, I started my journey into what became known as: Recycle_afc. I took part in Action For Change and my project started because I was disappointed that my council doesn’t recycle yoghurt and butter tubs in my area. Their excuse is that it is too difficult to identify them in the sorting process – that’s rubbish! (No pun intended…). If other councils across the country can manage recycling them with no issue than surely, we can too? My project has hugely progressed from this. I have been awoken to the reality of the once loved product – plastic.
Therefore, when I found out Girlguiding had listened to its members through Future Girl and wanted to make a stand to tackle plastic pollution, I was more than happy to be part of this amazing project from Girlguiding. This is because it is so key to educate our young members on an issue which is so current yet key to their lives. These girls and young women have such a major impact on the world they live in, by making their plastic promise it will help us in the right direction. They are the future and without them acting upon issues like plastic pollution we would be struggling.
During Future Girl week I worked alongside many different units, being part of this from their discussion of plastic pollution to creating their sculptures and seeing them all create their plastic promises was truly inspiring. It was amazing to see these girls’ passion towards the world they live in grow.
My favourite part of each session was discussing the statistics with the girls and seeing their jaws drop in disbelief of what they were hearing. It always took them a moment to see that we were being serious and we weren’t just making a joke, these high figures were real. I think this was where you could see the girls really start listening and the turning point of where their attitude changed.
Since teaching my Brownies and Guides about the damage of plastic waste, seeing their love for the world grow has made me so proud of how far they have come on this journey. I feel that other leaders who took part in Future Girl will feel the same towards their girls’ steps on their way to change the world.
Some of my favourite plastic promises include:
- I’m tackling plastic pollution because… I want to save all the animals so they can live. My plastic promise is… I will never throw plastic or anything else into the sea. (Brownie aged 9)
- I’m tackling plastic pollution because… people chuck their plastic in the ocean and it is killing all the animals in the sea. My plastic promise is… I will always recycle all my rubbish and never chuck it in the ocean. (Brownie aged 7)
- I’m tackling plastic pollution because… we are killing innocent creatures this very second and will eventually die due to microplastics. My plastic promise is…I will not litter, I will give my plastics to recyclable causes and I will do my best to make this a great planet for all my ancestors and the future generation. (Guide aged 10)
- I’m tackling plastic pollution because… I want to put right the amount of plastic going into our oceans for future generations. My plastic promise is… I will reduce the amount of face wipes I use and limit my use of plastic ready meal trays. (Ranger aged 17)
I encourage everyone, whether you’re a member of Girlguiding or not, to make a change, reduce their plastic waste, and join us on this journey by making your plastic promise too. Saving our planet is more than just banning plastic straws and using a reusable bag, plastic pollution is part of a bigger picture and making your plastic promise will help this.
Every little helps so remember to make and share your #PlasticPromise and tag us in any posts on social media!
