The Environment
Taking care of and protecting the Earth is a concern for most girls as over half of girls are concerned about the air, forests and freshwater ecosystems, and two out of three girls feel strongly about protecting the wildlife. Less than one out of 20 girls thinks the environment is not a big problem. In tackling ecological concerns and problems, girls believe it is everyone's responsibility—children, youth, adults and corporations alike—and everyone has a part to play.
Statistics
(Source: Girl Scout Research Institute, Girl Survey Panel, N=394, May 2008)
• When it comes to the planet, girls want to know what they and others can do to protect it, including what they could teach others to do to protect it. Girls are most concerned about the air and freshwater ecosystems with mountain ranges and deserts being the least concern. See the chart below for girls' ecological concerns.
• Girls see everyone as having a role in protecting the environment. More than nine out of ten girls believe that individuals and companies should each play a part in protecting the environment, including companies being responsible for their own recycling (94%). More than nine out of ten girls believe that youth organizations and schools should be pro-actively involved in educating students and families about how to protect the environment.
• On the other hand, less than three out of ten girls believed pollution and global warming is not as bad as people make them to seem. See the chart below for girls' beliefs on ecological responsibility.
• With four out of five girls (79%) considering themselves eco-friendly or "green," these girls learn how to be so largely through TV (60%), their parents (58%) or printed materials like books, magazines and articles (55%). To a much lesser extent, girls learn about being "green" through their own research online (32%), guest speakers at school (29%), after-school youth program (20%), joining eco-conscious clubs at school (12%), house of worship (9%), Podcasts (5%) and other sources (8%).
• The girls who consider themselves to be eco-friendly or "green," mostly donate usable items from home or school to charities or people who really need them, followed by a number of eco-conscious acts at home, school, with their friends and in the community. See the chart below for girls' eco-friendly acts.
