Girl Scouts educate others about composting as part of project to earn Silver Award

Composting is a great way to eliminate food waste and clean the air, according to two Girl Scouts at Northland Public Library in McCandless on Aug. 7, who were there hosting a hands-on activity to learn more about the effort.

Amelia Shaffer, 13, and Salem Elewononi, 14, set up tables in the Learning Garden of the library, teaching others the importance of composting.

“We need to educate people on the impact of food waste and educate them on reducing it,” said Salem, a ninth grader at North Allegheny Intermediate High School.

Fellow Scout Kyrie Ranjan, 14, also was part of the project.

This was one of the steps toward the Scouts earning their Silver Award. Salem, who already has her Silver Award, was there helping her peers with their journey.

The girls are part of Girl Scout Cadette Troop 28008. Troop leaders and Salem’s and Amelia’s mothers, Sarah Mount Elewononi and April Shaffer, have been guiding the girls through the process.

The Scouts had materials on display giving visitors a firsthand look on how to compost.

They taught others the importance of the activity.

“Composting is very good for the environment and reduces carbon dioxide,” said Amelia, an eighth grader at Carson Middle School.

The Silver Award is the highest award for cadettes. It requires at least 50 hours of work. And the project for the award is supposed to address a root cause of a problem and be sustainable, troop leaders said.

The Scouts will return to Northland’s Learning Garden for another demonstration of composting from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 6.