Cadettes from Troop 71895 have been working on their “Breathe” journey for the past year and learned about various ways in which light, air, water, and noise pollution affect humans, birds, animals, and the earth. As part of their Take Action project, the troop wanted to create awareness in the community about the harmful effects of chemicals on the environment, and participated in the Community Night Out on August 5 at the Community Park in West Windsor.
The troop includes sixth grade students from Grover and Community middle schools. Troop members are Krisha Bagga, Anusha Banerjee, Ameera Choudhary, Ruhee Damle, Rhiya John, Alexandra Lenart, Kyra Varnavas, Khushi Varshney, and Swati Warier. The troop is led by Mini Bagga, Zenith Mohsin, and Sangeeta Warier.
They made a chemical-free cleaning product, which they distributed to visitors with information about the ingredients and how it was better than store bought cleaners. They also gave out recipe cards so visitors could mix their own batch of cleaner. According to the leaders, the recipe is child and pet safe.
The troop also grew their own herbs in recycled containers. They handed these out to visitors as well and explained how it was a good idea to grow your own because it tastes better, saves trips to the grocery store, and helps the environment.
Juhi Kapadia of Plainsboro has earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. Her project, “Gardens for Gables,” targeted issues of environmental sustainability and physical activeness of senior citizens by providing a safe way for them to become more engaged in gardening.
Kapadia constructed four elevated garden beds for residents of the Gables of West Windsor senior residence home. “The elevated gardens now provide an opportunity for seniors to enjoy gardening outdoors while overcoming the obstacle of having to bend down to the ground level in order to plant,” she says.
She used durable, water resistant wood and paint to help the gardens last for many years. “The gardens by themselves are sustainable because they will be able to produce fresh vegetables and flowers repeatedly with proper nursing,” says Kapadia. “These gardens now provide the seniors an outdoor activity to get them active and also allow them to engage with each other socially while providing them a meeting place to connect and bond.”
Kapadia is a member of Troop 70672. Her advisor and troop leader was Cheryl Rowe-Rendleman and her mentor was Dottie Sylvester. A June graduate of High School North, she is a now a freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
