Cub Scout Outdoor Ethics Award

Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award

Cub Scouts and their adult leaders can learn about leaving no trace and treading lightly to improve their outdoor skills, and then receive recognition for their efforts. Scouts and adults first earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award and can then proceed on to the Outdoor Ethics Action Award with further effort.
We should practice Leave No Trace in our attitude and actions wherever we go. Understanding nature strengthens our respect toward the environment and helps us enjoy it more while better preserving it for others.

Leave No Trace Principles for Kids

1. Know Before You Go
2. Choose The Right Path
3. Trash Your Trash
4. Leave What You Find
5. Be Careful With Fire
6. Respect Wildlife
7. Be Kind To Other Visitors

When scouts and leaders complete the requirements they may submit an application form and purchase an Outdoor Ethics Emblem temporary patch (No. 618280). The patch should be displayed centered on the right pocket of the uniform.

Awareness Award Requirements:

1. Describe what the Outdoor Code means to you.
2. Complete the Leave No Trace online course and print the certificate.
3. Complete the Tread Lightly! TL! Kids Outdoor Quiz and print the certificate.
4. Participate in an outdoor ethics activity facilitated by a person who has completed the BSA outdoor ethics orientation course or is a BSA outdoor ethics trainer or master.

Requirement #4 says to "participate in an outdoor ethics activity."
The person who can facilitate the outdoor ethics activity is any person who is any of the following:

• a Leave No Trace Master Educator or Trainer
• a Tread Lightly! Master Tread Trainer or Tread Trainer
• a person who has completed either the BSA outdoor ethics orientation course or the BSA Leave No Trace 101 course
• any person who has earned the BSA Leave No Trace Awareness Card
• any individual designated by a council outdoor ethics advocate or, in the absence of an advocate, the Scout executive or his or her designee

Outdoor Ethics Action Award

The Outdoor Ethics Action Award encourages Scouts and adult leaders to put their skills of minimizing impact into practice.
The recognition item is a special nametag which can be purchased from a council scout shop, or online through ScoutStuff.org

Scout Action Award Requirements:

1. Do the following:
   1. Earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award.
   2. Describe to your den leader or parent/guardian what the Leave No Trace front country guidelines mean to you.
2. (expect these to be updated to 'adventures' soon)
   Tigers complete the activities for Achievement 5, "Let's Go Outdoors";
   Wolfs complete Requirement 7, "Your Living World";
   Bears complete Requirement 12, "Family Outdoor Adventures";
   Webelos earn the Outdoorsman activity badge.
3. Complete one of the following:
   1. With your family, put on a short activity (such as a skit or demonstration) at an outdoor activity or den meeting on a principle of Leave No Trace or Tread Lightly!
   2. With your den, put on a short activity (such as a skit or demonstration) at an outdoor activity or pack meeting on a principle of Leave No Trace or Tread Lightly!
4. Follow the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids on three outings. Explain to your unit leader or an individual who has completed the BSA outdoor ethics orientation course one thing you did on each outdoor activity to Leave No Trace.
5. On a pack or den outing, participate in a service project that reduces impact from our use of the outdoors. Examples might be collecting litter, cleaning fire rings or grills, or other activities approved by the landowner or land manager.
6. With your family or den, make a poster about the skill you learned in Requirement 3 or the project you did in Requirement 4 and display it at your pack meeting.

Adult Leader Action Award Requirements

1. Do each of the following:
   1. Earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award.
   2. Complete the BSA outdoor ethics orientation course.
   3. Show the National Park Service Leave No Trace video (10 min) to your den or pack.
2. Read about the principles of Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly! and facilitate your Cub Scouts' learning about a principle.
3. Facilitate or participate with a family or den when they put on their activity (such as a skit or demonstration) at a den or pack meeting or outing about a principle of Leave No Trace or Tread Lightly!
4. Help plan and participate in three activities that your pack or den can complete while following Leave No Trace Principles for Kids.
5. Contact a local landowner or land manager to arrange the pack or den service project that reduces impact from our use of the outdoors. The project must be approved by the landowner or land manager in advance. Examples might be collecting litter, cleaning fire rings or grills, or other steps suggested by the landowner or land manager.
6. Make or assist in a presentation at a roundtable or similar gathering about what your pack or den did for requirement 4.
7. Help a Cub Scout earn the youth Outdoor Ethics Action Award.