Planet Protectors

Protecting our planet and the animals we share it with

We want people to take better care of our precious planet, and of the animals we share it with.

We want to see a world with less plastic polluting our oceans and affecting wildlife. A world where recycling and reusing things are part of everyday life.

We want people to treat animals better – whether they’re living as pets, on farms or in the wild.

We want real action to stop climate change – not just empty words. And we want the people in charge to listen to the voices of young people like us.

After all, it’s our future that’s at stake.

Plastic waste is choking our planet and we should stop it. - Brownie

We'll make a difference together

We want everyone - including the people in charge - to pay attention to what we have to say. And we want them to join us in taking action to change things for the better.

  • Everyone should be recycling more and use less plastic that pollutes the oceans.
  • We need urgent action against climate change to give young people everywhere a better future.
  • All animals, whether in the wild or someone's home, should be free from harm.

34,376 Brownies said they want to live in a world where people care about the environment and recycling.

#PlasticPromise

#PlasticPromise was our first Future Girl campaign.

This huge girl-led campaign to tackle plastic pollution was launched in September 2019 and supported by science and wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin and expert environmental charity Recycle Now.

An estimated 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away in the UK every year. That’s almost 5,000 a minute, or 7 million per day. Girls told us they’re worried about the damage this does to the planet and the animals we share it with.

In response, we took action to motivate people to recycle more and use less single-use plastic.

We campaigned for people to make their own #PlasticPromise to make a small but meaningful change to their lifestyle and we told governments to listen to girls’ voices when creating environmental policies, including plans for a deposit return scheme.

113,668 people joined us in making a promise to reduce plastic waste in their lives. And over 100,000 girls across the UK and beyond joined our first Future Girl Acts week – taking part in a special unit meeting activity, writing to their MPs and spreading the word about reducing plastic use.

 I made a turtle because I’m worried about how much plastic is in the sea. Animals shouldn’t die because of our rubbish. – Hannah, Guide

We’re committed to protecting the planet from plastic, and made our own #PlasticPromise  to become more environmentally friendly in everything we do.

In what other ways are we being Planet Protectors?

We know that it's important to ensure a sustainable future for the young people we work with, so within our organisation we run initiatives to increase recycling, use sustainable packaging and increase our energy efficiency. If you get guiding magazine, you'll know we've gone completely digital, to use less paper and reduce carbon emissions.

Our programme encourages girls to explore how they can help the environment through activities such as Recycling for Rainbows, Zero waste for Brownies, and Upcycling for Guides. And while some programme activities do require using things like straws, we encourage volunteers to adapt this and use recyclable materials - for example using paper straws not plastic ones.