Eco-friendly fun: 20 unusual activities to help the planet

Are you looking for some unexpected, different or surprising ways to help the planet?

Whether you're working towards an Eco award, your Zero Waste badge, or just want to do your bit for the environment, we have got you covered!

Helping the environment doesn’t always have to be about big lifestyle changes; sometimes the smallest actions make the biggest difference.

Here are 20 unusual eco-actions you can do to help:

1. Super showers: Place a bucket in the shower to catch the cold water while waiting for it to warm up. You can then use it to water the houseplants or garden.
2. Design light switch labels: Create tiny, artistic reminders to stick next to light switches that say ‘Turn me off’. Why not make them for taps or plug sockets too?
3. Tackle your inbox: Spend 30 minutes unsubscribing from junk emails. Every email stored in a data centre has a tiny carbon footprint, so deleting them really adds up for the planet!
4. Make a repair box: Gather a kit for things that need a dab of glue or a quick stitch. It’s a great reminder that broken doesn’t mean 'throw it away', it often just means something needs a bit of time and care to fix.
5. Host a toy, book or clothes swap: Have friends over to trade one old thing for a new one instead of buying something new. It’s a fun way to get new stuff without any extra packaging, air miles or plastic.
6. Have a fix-it workshop: Instead of binning a ripped teddy or shirt, learn a basic stitch and try sewing on a lost button, practice using a glue gun to mend breakages, or try de-fuzzing a bobbled jumper to give it a second life. You’ll be amazed at how a few small fixes can make something look brand new. 
7. Craft some sock puppets: Turn an old, worn holey sock into a fun puppet character rather than throwing it away. Give it buttons for eyes and a scrap-fabric tongue to bring a new friend to life – why not make it into your favourite character?
8. Make fabric scraps gift wrap: Instead of using paper and tape, learn the art of Furoshiki (Japanese fabric wrapping) using old scarves or cut-up bedsheets. It looks beautiful and can be used over and over again.
9. DIY draught excluders: Get upcycling and cut a leg off an old pair of woolly tights. Stuff one of the tights legs with toy stuffing, fabric scraps or old socks until it's nice and plump. Once it’s full, tie a knot in the end, then wrap it in a length fabric (or even an old long sock!) and stick it down with fabric glue. You can then decorate it.
10. Melt new crayons: Collect broken bits of crayon, break them up into little pieces, then place them in silicone molds on a baking tray. An adult can carefully melt or bake them down to create new multi-coloured crayons. They’re perfect for creating fantastic rainbow masterpieces!
11. Grow wild: Mark out a patch of grass with some string and pledge not to mow it for 1 or 2 months. See what wonderful wildflowers, birds and bugs appear up when nature is left to grow!
12. Tasty bird pinecones: Rub sunflower seed butter on a pinecone, roll it in seeds and hang it up. It’s a high-energy snack for birds that helps our feathered friends, especially in winter. It can be remade again and again too!
13. Regrow your kitchen scraps: Place the base of a lettuce, the root of a spring onion, or the top of a carrot in water to see how much free food you can grow from waste. You could even plant seeds from fruit strawberries or oranges - just make sure they’re completely dry first!
14. Write an eco-recipe book: Find some tasty recipes for in-season foods or veggie recipes for Meat Free Mondays. Collect your favourite recipes and make your very own recipe book - then get cooking! Eating seasonally is a brilliant way to reduce food miles and support local farmers.
15. Build a butterfly snack station: Put a sponge soaked in sugar water on a plate outside to give tired butterflies a sugary energy boost. It’s a perfect way to help them on a hot day. You could make a sign for it or decorate the plate.
16. Make a hedgehog home and highway: Place a hedgehog house somewhere quiet, shaded, secluded and dry. With an adult, make a small 13cm gap under any fences so hedgehogs can pass through safely. It helps hedgehogs travel around to find food and mates.
17. DIY beeswax wraps: Beeswax wraps are a popular choice for replacing cling film. They're reusable and very quick to make. All you need is an iron and ironing board, baking paper, beeswax pellets and 100% cotton fabric. Our Wrap it up Guides UMA explains how to make them.
18. Use a micro-fibre bag when washing: Did you know that washing your clothes can shed tiny plastic bits called microfibres? Try popping your laundry into a microfibre bag. The mesh catches the plastic fibres in a little clump, which you can then scoop out and pop straight in your rubbish bin. Just remember to keep your bag safe so you can reuse it for your next wash!
19. Raise money for wildlife and nature charities: Design and make your own magazine or puzzle book, then sell it and give the money you make to a wildlife or nature charity or project. You could also host an event, such as a bake sale, bring and buy sale, bingo night or quiz.
20. Write a letter: Found a snack you love, but hate the plastic packaging? Send a letter to the company asking them to switch to compostable alternatives. You could even start a petition in your unit or school and send it to them.

Earn the Eco award

To earn the Eco award, you need to complete 3 environmental actions, with 1 of those actions lasting for 2 months. There are 3 easy ways to run the Eco award:

• As a unit: everyone works together on the same 3 actions.
• Mix and match: the unit works together to do the award at the same time, but everyone chooses their own individual actions.
• At home: you can offer the award as optional project for members to complete in their own time if they want to.

Find out more about each award:

• Rainbow Eco award.
• Brownie Eco award.
• Guide Eco award.
• Ranger Eco award.

Leaders can download the Eco award leader guidance (PDF, 178KB) for support in helping girls gain their award, whether in or outside the unit.