The Girl Scout Tree Promise: Plant, Protect, and Honor 5 Million Trees by 2026.

Climate change is one of the top issues concerning U.S. girls, particularly teens. In response, we’re tapping our powerful network of girls and adults to unite to work toward a solution.

With support from the Elliott Wildlife Values Project, American Forests, and SciStarter, GSUSA is launching the Girl Scout Tree Promise, a national protection initiative to plant 5 million trees across the United States by 2026. Fueled by their passion for protecting and preserving our planet, Girl Scouts throughout the country will lead these efforts as well as educate the public about why trees are such an imperative piece of the climate change solution.

And that’s not all! All good stewards of the environment know that it’s not enough just to plant a tree – Girl Scouts will continue their good work by protecting and honoring the trees they planted as well as the existing tree cover. Our friends at SciStarter have developed a Tree Promise Citizen Science page. Girl Scouts can support scientists from around the globe who are collecting data to help save trees and our planet!

Natural climate solutions, especially reforestation and planting trees, can provide 37% of the climate pollution reductions needed through 2030 to stabilize global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. In May 2019, the United Nations reported that biodiversity is declining faster than any other time in human history, signifying that a change needs to be made to reverse these effects. By planting and protecting 5 million trees, Girl Scouts will not only help provide habitats for wildlife but also help eliminate over 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide—the equivalent of the annual carbon emissions from 425,000 cars or 239,000 homes or charging 255 billion smartphones.

Drawing from the national and local power of Girl Scouts countrywide, the initiative will engage scientists, outdoor enthusiasts, local and state governments, faith communities, and many others to lead like a Girl Scout and take action to protect and plant trees. The Girl Scout Tree Promise will educate girls and the public on the science behind trees' value to the ecosystem, as well as enrich their experience outdoors. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute study, Girl Scouts Soar in the Outdoors, exposing girls to new and challenging outdoor experiences enhances their confidence while helping them engage responsibly with nature and build environmental stewardship.


Juliette Low plants a tree at the Girl Guide World Wide Camp, Lyndhurst, England, 1924

Everyone (Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scouts) who plants a tree can record their good deeds through our online tree tracker. Participants will also be able to unlock a special Tree Promise patch that they can wear with pride.

But wait! There's more: Join us for the 'Planting the Future with the Tree Promise', a virtual event on Earth Day, April 22nd at 7:30 ET. Girls of all ages will be celebrating and taking the Tree Promise along with famous Girl Scout Alum, Danni Washington! Find out more and register here.

As Girl Scouts, we pride ourselves on taking action. That’s why in addition to launching the Girl Scout Tree Promise, we’re excited to join the US Chapter @1t.org and the #TrillionTrees community to create healthy and resilient forests for future generations. Learn more about our pledge to #ConserveRestoreGrow here.

Get started planting, protecting, and honoring the trees in your community today! Make your promise now.

Join the conversation on social media using #GirlScoutTreePromise

Financial Literacy During Uncertain Times

From our sense of security and wellbeing to canceled troop activities, graduations, and birthdays, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our lives. For so many of us, the ongoing uncertainty means having to navigate difficult situations. So this April—for Financial Literacy Month—we’ve partnered with Morgan Stanley’s Financial Advisors to answer a few of the questions you submitted on Facebook and Instagram. Check them out!

Jeri Salmond, Financial Advisor 

A credit score is an important number that summarizes your credit history and credit worthiness. The score helps lenders determine how likely you will pay your debt and on time. Credit scores will change over time. It is very important to keep track of your credit score and find out how the amount of debt, your payment history, as well as the types of debt you hold affect your credit score. There are several different tracking tools that can be used for free to track your credit score without affecting your score. It is important to start building a credit score when you are younger. Having no credit is almost as bad as having a low credit score. Many people start with having a small credit card or secured credit card to make small purchases and pay off monthly. The more you make on time payments and keep your debt low, the more your credit score will increase. The better your score the more likely you will receive a preferred interest rate. Credit is usually needed for large purchases in which you may not have the immediate cash savings required for purchase such as paying for college, purchasing a car, starting a business, or buying a home. Having a good credit score allows you to purchase the item on credit while making monthly payments in order to pay off the debt. 

Michelle Ward, Financial Advisor

Good savings habits can help you achieve financial freedom. We recommend that you start saving early, automatically and often. This gives you the opportunity to benefit from “compound interest,” which is simply earning interest on the interest you earned the previous month. The longer you compound, the greater the effect. Pay yourself first, before you begin to pay optional expenses and make discretionary purchases. Treat your savings like any other expense and give it priority over optional expenses. Consider how much you can save annually by cutting out common habits, like buying coffee or eating out and think about making automatic, periodic deposits to savings accounts on a monthly basis. Your savings will help when you have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses, achieve short-term goals, like going on a trip, and longer-term ones, like buying a house or choosing an occupation that you love without having to weigh in how much will you earn. 

Teri Kelley, Financial Advisor

Creating a budget is always a helpful approach as it allows you to see your cash flow. Once you do that, you can identify essentials, like your rent/mortgage, utilities, medicine, transportation costs and food (needs) and pay those fixed bills first before paying for non-essential items like clothes, games, etc. (wants). In times of crisis that affect your finances like the loss of a job, you really have to stick to the basics and make necessary adjustments. You may need to defer or reduce payments on things like; saving contributions, credit card payments, etc. And remember, that hopefully this is just a temporary adjustment and once things get back to “normal”, you’ll be able to resume things you may have had to give up.

Jane Rojas, Financial Advisor

My suggestion to prioritizing bills when you are short on cash is to stand back, look at what is most important to your life, and decide what needs your immediate attention – and write that out from most important to least important. This should include thoughts about what you can’t live without: electricity, rent, etc. Then I would look at the actual cost of not paying each bill each month: a credit card may not be urgent, but if you don’t pay it, there could be late fees plus interest of 20% or more on top of that. Last – negotiate when you can on how to stretch out your payments in a way that you don’t get the high cost of ignoring them, but to a point that makes them manageable.

When you get the short-term problems fixed, then work on the bigger problem of not having enough cash for the bills you have. Look again at what is most important and look at how you might reduce the cost of each of them: move to a lower-cost apartment, get a cheaper phone or phone plan, do your own nails. The key to success is spending less than you make, NOT MORE.



Kate Waters, Financial Advisor

The goal should always be to have as little debt as possible, but there are certain instances where debt can be “good debt.” For instance, if you think you can get a better-paying job by going to college or going for your master’s, medical, or law degree, then it might be smart to take on a student loan if you can’t afford it all on your own. This also holds true for buying a home. In both instances, you need to understand how long it will take to pay off and to make sure there is potential for a positive longer-term return on your investment. You also need to make sure the additional expense of the loan fits within your budget and be prudent about paying it down. By being diligent about your personal finances and responsible about paying down debt, you can be well on your way to being debt-free! 

To help build girls’ confidence, Girl Scouts has developed Financial Literacy badges that your girl can start earning today! The badge activities are based on real-life situations, such as budgeting and philanthropy, to give girls a deeper understanding of financial literacy power their future life success! You can also check out Girl Scouts at Home—our hub of online activities, including some for financial literacy!

 

Thien Le, Financial Advisor

The first financial lesson is to learn how to set goals. Setting goals is a great way to determine what to save for and to stay focused on your financial objectives and your reasons for saving. Bucket each goal into short term, medium term, and long term. Short term could be buying a new car, while long term could be retirement; which it’s never too early to think about. Start saving now as soon as you have earned income from your part time job or when you begin to work full time. When my 16-year-old daughter got her first job as a math tutor, I opened a retirement account for her to encourage her to save a little each month. Lastly, don’t be afraid of investing, and learn how to do it. Staying focused and keeping money invested in the market can be rewarding over time, but it may require patience and a long investment horizon. With market volatility, people often panic and make irrational decisions, so it is important to review your goals and remain focused on your investment objectives. 



Lisa Benton, Financial Advisor

An emergency savings fund is money that you have set aside for unexpected life events, such as losing a job or paying for a broken-down car. It’s a good idea for everyone to create one. When you are first starting, aim to save a few hundred dollars in a separate savings account. A convenient way to do this is by establishing a direct deposit for your emergency savings account. This allows the funds to be transferred into your account automatically. The ultimate goal will be to save three to six months of your take-home pay as a cushion for life’s uncertainties. Remember that this can be done gradually as your cash flow allows. One of the best ways to be financially savvy is to plan and that includes planning for the unexpected. 

To help build girls’ confidence, Girl Scouts has developed Financial Literacy badges that your girl can start earning today! The badge activities are based on real-life situations, such as budgeting and philanthropy, to give girls a deeper understanding of financial literacy power their future life success! You can also check out Girl Scouts at Home—our brand-new hub of online activities, including some for financial literacy!

Let’s Celebrate Girl Scout Volunteers!

It’s National Volunteer Month, and there’s no doubt that our amazing Girl Scout volunteers deserve a standing ovation. Yes, the Girl Scout experience may have looked a bit different last year, but from finding new ways to connect online to being in touch through phone calls and texting to coming up with safe ways to meet in person while following local guidelines, our troop leaders, cookie captains, and other volunteers have risen to the challenge and done their absolute best in trying times.

For all they are and all they do, we hope you’ll join us in saying thank you. Let them know their actions, both big and small, matter to you personally and make a difference in your community. 

Whether you’re short on time or want to make a whole project of it with your troop, check out these simple ways to show your appreciation.

• Personalize one of our super cute (and free!) thank-you cards designed just for this purpose.
•  Daisies | Brownies | Juniors (PDF)
• Cadettes | Seniors | Ambassadors (PDF)

• Bake a special treat to brighten their day.
• Give them a shoutout with a special social media post.
• Send a quick video thanking them for all they’ve helped your troop accomplish.
• Choose a project from Girl Scouts at Home to make and give to your volunteer. 
• Team up with other troop families to purchase a token of appreciation for your volunteer from the Girl Scout Shop—plus, when you use code VOLUNTEER2021, you’ll get a sweet 10% off!* 


 

When it comes to showing gratitude, we’ve got this!

*The code is active April 1 through April 30, 2021, for a 10% discount at girlscoutshop.com. The code is for one-time use per customer, online-only, at girlscoutshop.com. The discount is not taken on any applicable shipping, handling, or taxes for each order.