Instead of selling cookies this year, Girl Scout Cadette Troop 28008 is spreading the word about cleaner air and the harm of plastic bags.

The seven-member troop, based in North Allegheny, is working on their Breathe Journey badge by learning about air quality and related environmental issues.

“The Breathe journey is like learning all about the different aspects of air: how it carries sounds, scents that can help people, and how breathing bad air negatively affects people and animals,” said troop member Salem, a seventh grader at Carson Middle School.

As part of the process, the girls participated in a “Take Action” project. They chose to distribute reusable bags at the Giant Eagle in McIntyre Square in McCandless on March 16, along with an educational flyer.

They were pleasantly surprised by the response. The girls said most shoppers were receptive to their message of opting for reusable bags.

“I’ve learned that the community is much more open to a bag ban than I thought,” Salem said.

Fellow trooper Amelia, a sixth grader at Carson, said a lot of people already had them.

“It was a very encouraging thing,” she said.

Some didn’t want a bag, but then also some initially declined and came back because they changed their minds.

The flyer included a link to a website they created Live-Able-Future.org

Troop leaders Sarah Mount Elewononi and April Shaffer have been guiding the girls through the process.

“They want to decrease the amount of single-use plastic that people use, specifically by educating shoppers on the impact of plastic bags and the advantages of reusable bags,” Shaffer said.

The Journey process included researching books and websites about indoor and outdoor air quality. The troop discovered sources and causes of pollution, including factories that produce single-use plastics and how it affects climate change.

They connected with experts on the matter, such as Thaddeus Popovich, an Ohio Township resident who is a member of Allegheny County Clean Air Now. He explained to the troops how air quality can be monitored and how to find current air quality levels in weather apps.

The Journey process also included the girls doing hands-on activities such as learning to and making an indoor air filter, with a box fan and large filters. They related the information they learned about air quality, pollution and the environment with what is going on worldwide and locally with plastic bans, according to Shaffer.

The girls decided to support a Pittsburgh City ban on plastic bags to be expanded to all of Allegheny County. One troop member visited the county council’s meeting on April 9 to talk about what they learned and the importance of stopping single-use bags.

Suzanne Filiaggi, District 2 council member, said she was proud of the troop’s efforts.

“Their ‘Live-Able-Future’ initiative is gaining traction in our area and I expect much from them as they become our future leaders. The troop’s efforts to raise environmental awareness and encourage us to transition to reusable bags is the essence of civic engagement,” said Filiaggi, who uses reusable bags, herself.

“While legislation on the issue of plastic bags is still in the sustainability committee, it is encouraging to see how the efforts of the young people in Troop 28008 are helping to bring about change in a positive and organic way,” she said.

For more information on the troop’s work, visit www.live-able-future.org.

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