Marion Scouts honored for recycling

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BY DON RATZLAFF
Members of Girl Scout Troop 60 of Marion is learning that when a lot of people each do their small part, a lot can be accomplished.



The troop was honored March 22 for winning third place in the Midwest Region of the Great Aluminum Can Roundup 1999 Scout Council Challenge.



The 13 scouts and their leaders collected 3,462 pounds of aluminum cans in about five months, or an average of 266 pounds per member.



The Marion troop is part of the Girl Scout Council of the Flint Hills.



Troop 94 of the Wheatbelt Girl Scout Council of Kansas won the top award for individual troops in the Midwest Region with 33,000 pounds of aluminum, an average of 3,000 pounds per member.



The second-place troop was from Oklahoma.



The Quivera Council of the Boy Scouts of America won the council challenge for the Midwest Region by collecting a total of 58,865 pounds of aluminum cans.



Troop 60 got involved in the recycling effort almost by accident.



?One of the reasons we started was because we were earning a walking badge, and we were walking around town and noticing all the trash,? said Shirley Groening, a troop leader. ?We thought we?d just pick up what we could and recycle the other stuff.?



The troop got a late start toward this year?s contest, which runs from Jan. 15 to Sept. 15. Troop 60 began collecting cans in May.



?We started telling the other Girls Scouts in Marion and had them spread the word to their families, neighbors and friends,? Groening said. ?As of right now we have about 4,500 pounds.?



For their efforts, each troop member received a T-shirt and a medallion made from recycled aluminum. They are also still in the running for a cash prize for the story they wrote explaining their reasons for being involved in the contest.



If they win the cash, they will use it to help build a new storage shed for their camping equipment. The fund for that project stands at $1,930.



Regardless of whether they win, the effort has been worthwhile, Groening said.



?We were wanting to prove to our girls that recycling counts,? she said. ?The one way we thought we could do that is if we tried to get a lot of people involved. When you start showing them dollars, they start saying, ?Oh wow, it really does work.??



It also makes a difference for a community, she added.



?We?re trying to make them conscious of what is being thrown out of vehicles,? she said. ?We cleaned up (ditches) five miles going south out of Marion at the beginning of our troop year, and last year we helped with the reservoir cleanup.?



Groening said Troop 60 plans to continue their efforts.



?We?re just trying to help the community,? she said.

More from article archives
Longtime local volunteer and businessman will be grand marshall at Florence parade
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN STAFF Longtime Florence resident Dale Miller will be the grand...
Read More