Saturday, May 12, 2012

Badges for the 4 Pillars of the Earth Charter


Moving forward with unbending intent Planet Earth Scouts community has published under creative commons license the first official badges for the 4 Pillars of the Earth Charter.  

Earning badges is the number one fun activity for Planet Earth Scouts.  Planet Earth Scouts is about learning 'sustainable stewardship' and the 4 Pillars of the Earth Charter provide a framework to develop learning activities that will enable children and adults to learn about values and principles of sustainability.  But sustainable living is also about various technologies and practices that are specifically related to food, water, shelter, and energy. 

The 4 Pillars of the Earth Charter are:
  1. Respect & Care for the Community of Life
  2. Ecological Integrity
  3. Social & Economic Justice
  4. Democracy & Peace
The first Pillar, 'Respect & Care for the Community of Life is 4 basic commitments:

1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.

2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.

3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.

4. Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.

The Charter then reads:  "In order to fulfill these four broad commitments, it is necessary to:"...and then follows the next 3 Pillars. 

So how can these 4 Pillars be translated into activities that Badges are earned?  It is possible to use these 4 Pillars as exactly what they are called - pillars that uphold a structure that represents sustainable stewardship.

Join the Planet Earth Scouts Community Network and download the images and share your badge ideas and become a part of the ongoing effort to build and create a vibrant Planet Earth Scouts program!  Badges as buttons and other Planet Earth Scouts merchandise are also available for sale in the Planet Earth Scouts store.  Proceeds go toward managing, developing, and administrating the community network.