On the 55^th Earth Day, Girlguiding, the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls, has announced the launch of its first ever Eco award for girls aged 4-18.

Funded by The Leslie Sell Charitable Trust, the Eco award was co-designed with girls and will educate and empower Girlguiding members to be more sustainable while supporting their confidence and wellbeing.

Girlguiding created the award following recent research from the organisations’ annual Girls’ Attitudes Survey which revealed 37% of girls aged 7-21 are feeling more and more worried, anxious and overwhelmed by global warming.

The research also found girls are increasingly questioning if anything can be done. 29% say they feel hopeless or that there’s nothing they can do about climate change, and almost 1 in 5 say they feel it’s too late to make change. Even less girls say they feel hopeful that people are talking about it and trying to help (down from 38% in 2020 to 28%).

Following a membership poll, Girlguiding revealed 4 in 5 girls say youth organisations like Girlguiding should do more, and strongly believe that girls should have a say in tackling climate change. An overwhelming 84% of the organisation’s young members say it’s important to them to do something about climate change.

To achieve the Eco award Girlguiding members will explore how their carbon footprint affects the environment and look at ways of becoming more sustainable through three actions. Girls will be asked to show their commitment over a set period of time, which will vary depending on their age and their section; one month for Rainbows (girls aged 4-7 years) and Brownies (7-10 years), two months for Guides (10-14 years) and three months for Rangers (14-18 years).

Girls are encouraged to take action across categories, for example:

• Community – Research if there are any local environment campaigns you can get involved in.
• Building – Introduce a recycling process in your environment
• Food – Think about food packaging you could avoid like buying loose veg rather than in a plastic bag or save and reuse your shopping bags for your next food shop.
• Travel – Try to reduce your car use by using public transport, cycling or walking to places where possible.
• Shopping – Try to buy something second hand instead of new.
• Conservation – Plant wildflowers in a green space or in plant pots to help insect pollination.

For the first time in Girlguiding’s award history, the award will be available to all sections (Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers) and girls can continue their journey to take care of environment throughout the sections

The Eco award has been designed to equip members with the tools and knowledge to address climate change issues by taking collective action within local communities. With Girlguiding’s size and influence, the Eco award aims to drive broader societal change and empower members to feel confident that environmental actions make a difference.

The launch of the new Eco award is being supported by environmental scientist Laura Young, known as Less Waste Laura, who has come on board as Girlguiding’s first Environment ambassador. Laura was named Scottish Influencer of the Year by Scottish Influencer Awards in 2024, following her successful campaign to ban disposable vapes in September 2022.

Laura recently met with Guides and Rangers in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire to help the girls as they worked on completing their Eco awards. Laura has also shared her expertise with the organisation and will be championing girls’ voices on environmental matters at future opportunities.

Speaking about the launch and her ambassadorship, Laura Young said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be supporting Girlguiding as their new Environment ambassador. Growing up, Guides was instrumental in shaping my love for the environment and inspiring me to get involved in community projects. It’s an honour to now give back and help empower the next generation of young changemakers. It’s great to celebrate Earth Day with the launch of Girlguiding’s exciting new Eco awards. Together, we can make a real difference for our planet!”

Erin, Girlguiding advocate said: “I hope that the Eco award will help girls to know that they are contributing towards a better future. It is not fair for young women to feel anxious about the environment and climate change- allowing them to actively participate in Girlguiding’s environmental sustainability strategy is a brilliant step towards creating a feeling of security and success for young Girlguiding members. It will be fantastic to look back in 2040 and see the impact the award has had on girls’ attitudes towards climate change.”

Berenice Levenez, Director of Strategy, Technology and Transformation at Girlguiding said: “Through our Eco award, we demonstrate that when girls unite and take action, they can transform their individual behaviours and collectively change society. I am proud that our Girlguiding Environmental Sustainability Strategy has been co-designed with and led by girls. Nothing would be possible without our collaboration with others. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Laura Young for being our ambassador and to the Leadership Skills Foundation for their generous support in working with us.”

Girlguiding’s vision is an equal world where all girls can make a positive difference, be happy, safe, and fulfil their potential, which is why the organisation has developed an environmental sustainability strategy. Some highlights of the strategy include Girlguiding launching an environment specific volunteer forum and working with the Leaderships Skills Foundation, WWF and the RSPB to develop the Environment Leaders Programme. This work has been shaped by consultation with girls and volunteers – including surveys, focus groups, data gathering and work with amplify, Girlguiding’s young member steering group. 

Find the Eco awards here

See leader guidance for the Eco award.