NEW - Madagascar Update
Please note that due to a travel advisory released for Madagascar, our Scouting group has revised their International project (Scoutrees/Brotherhood Fund supported). The group is now going to Paraguay to rebuild a school as noted below:

“The project is a go for Paraguay.  We're going to be rebuilding a school in the city of Fernando de la Mora that will house 250 students once completed.  We're very excited to work with the local Scouts and they have arranged for home hospitality for a few evenings to get more of a cultural experience. 
 
The project is kicking off July 2, 2009, when 18 of us will be flying down to Paraguay.  We'll be there for three weeks.”

All badges submitted to the Madagascar project will now be presented to the city of Fernando de la Mora upon completion of the school. Thanks to all who submitted.

(To see a close-up of the image above click here)

Scoutrees is a Canada-wide environmental program designed to give all members of Scouts Canada the opportunity to demonstrate, through the planting of trees, their concern for the environment.

At Home

The results of this program, both immediate and long-term, will be a more beautiful Canada, with cleaner air, and a land which is less susceptible to flooding.

Trees produce the oxygen (O2) we need to breathe.
Two large trees produce about 400 pounds of O2 each year, which is the amount of oxygen that the average person consumes in a year.  
       
Trees sequester the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2).
During photosynthesis trees take in CO2 from the air and convert it to the sugars it uses to grow and survive.   

Trees remove pollutants from the air. 
One large tree can absorb up to 10 lbs of air pollutants each year.  These include ozone (O3 — the primary component of smog),  nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), two major contributors to acid rain, and particulate matter (e.g. dust, soot, and smoke).  Each of these pollutants have been shown to have adverse health effects, including asthma, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Scout Brotherhood Fund

But wait ! Scoutrees is also a fundraising project. Although most of the funds stay in the community, a very important 15% is forwarded to the Canadian Scout Brotherhood Fund. These funds assist Scouting members in developing countries run self-help and community betterment programs that are adapted to local needs and conditions. Brotherhood monies contributed to these projects only pay for construction materials or equipment costs; no payments for travel by visitors are considered.

Scoutrees is a program concerned with tomorrow — a tomorrow which will be better because communities supported Scouts in this program today!

Click here to download the Scoutrees Pledge Sheet.

Click here to download the Scoutrees Certificate.

Click here to read the Scouting Life Magazine article relating to Scoutrees.

Click here to read about "The Future Without Trees".

For Youth and Leaders
Everything for a successful Scoutrees season!

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