Happy end of No Straw November! We appreciate all of you who supported us for your first time this year and possibly your fifth time! We have made significant changes throughout the years, such as passing legislation, revamping the airline, healthcare, and hospitality industries straw policy, and making straws such a known common pollutant that sitcom writers use straws as a punchline. Truly none of this would have been possible without every single one of you. This year's th

Girl Scout Hannah - Troop 5631 What really melts my heart is hearing stories from so many of you all over the world on how No Straw November has made an impact on your lives and communities. Sharing with you a note sent by Hannah and June's mom. This gives me great hope for our future. 💚🌎🌍🌏🌊 This goes beyond November for us--✨ We’ve been participating in this challenge for a few years now. I have two daughters in Girl Scouts. This video is of Hannah. She was a Girl Scou

Photo: National Geographic This year's No Straw November is happening during a momentous event for our environment… COP26! For those of you who don't know what COP26 is, it is a conference on climate change attended by world leaders and hosted by the United Nations in Glasgow, Scotland. The COP part comes from the historic meetings of the past called Conferences of Parties, aka COP. The Parties have met 26 times, including this conference, hence COP26. The main goal is to im

Did you know the State of California recognizes #nostrawnovember? Watch the Brut video of me to learn more about how No Straw November came about & CA SCR-139 No Straw November. #gengeo @brutamerica@Delta@girlscouts

When I reflect on the past five years of No Straw November, the journey of plastic pollution work has led me on a crazy path. Starting out as an eager 7th grader learning about sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium to an equally curious junior in college and a National Geographic Young Explorer, the events that lead to this moment are countless. I appreciate every single ounce of support I have ever received and continue to receive from people worldwide! Click on our esri m

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 Happy Halloween everyone! We hope you have a fun/safe last day of October and get ready for the start of No Straw November tomorrow! We SUPER appreciate everyone who has supported No Straw November and advocated for change these past 5 years. Here we have Mia being #CaptainAmerica of change and a #WonderWoman #GirlScout! Don’t forget to tag us in your #NoStrawNovember posts and get ready to learn more about our precious Arctic environment. 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 #NoStrawNovem

As a special thank you to all of our No Straw November advocates for making waves in your community and beyond for the past 5 years, an extremely limited special edition Jr Ocean Guardians NSN patch is available for free while supplies last! How do I get the Jr Ocean Guardians No Straw November 5th Anniversary patch? Email jroceanguardians@gmail.com a photo of all of your patches! What if I haven't been able to participate in all 5 years of No Straw November, can I still get

I’m Shelby O’Neil, ocean advocate and National Geographic Young Explorer. Back in June, on World Oceans Day, I reached out to announce that the National Geographic Society and Esri had teamed up to recruit young people for the 2021 ArcGIS StoryMaps Challenge for Restoring Our Ocean. I’m excited to share that the challenge is now open to youth around the world! If you’re in high school, college, or between 18 and 24 years of age, I encourage you to join the global conversation

For everyone who's supported #nostrawnovember for the past 5 years, we have something special for you ~ be on the lookout for more details soon!! 🌊💚🌎🌍🌏💚🌊

Happy Sea Otter Awareness Week! We at Jr Ocean Guardians are indeed biased when it comes to our favorite creature. Did you know that Sea Otters are a keystone species? They help support the kelp forest ecosystem that keeps us on earth more balanced as the kelp forest is a beautifully diverse and protective ocean zone. To learn more about Otters and conservation efforts working to help them be sure to check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium and their Sea Otter Cam! @MontereyAq

As seasons change and our countdown to the fifth year of No Straw November begins, let us take a moment to reflect on the four past NSNs we have celebrated so far! Our first year was full of optimism and hope to help communities rebuild after Hurricane Harvey. As a past National Gold Award Girl Scout, I knew the heart of the community lives within youth organizations such as the Girl Scouts. Our first year helped support Girl Scout Troops affected by the hurricane so they cou

Photo: National Geographic / National Geographic Education Blog Happy September everyone! I am excited to announce I will be a judge for Esri and National Geographic’s 2021 ArcGIS StoryMaps Challenge for Restoring Our Ocean. A story has the power to change the world and I am beyond excited to see the innovated connections everyone creates. The challenge is open to high school, college, or anyone between the ages of 18-24 years. Your participation in the challenge will includ

Happy World Oceans Day! As we start to see our world function closer to normal, it's important to understand our pre-Covid normal wasn't always the best for our ocean. We have a long catch-up game and fine line to navigate as we pursue normalcy and going out again. In a world so fixed on big actions, small actions are often overlooked. With the gift of leaving our houses again, it provides us a clear picture of how disposable waste is available to us again that comes from ext

This #EarthDay, the National Geographic Society is illuminating, celebrating, and protecting the beating blue heart of our planet. National Geographic has created a suite of free resources that will take young people on a deep dive of the Earth’s ocean. To help engage as many learners as possible as we celebrate Earth Day, I encourage you to share this Earth Day Guide with educators and families in your community. Click here to access the National Geographic Earth Day Guid

Excited to be celebrating Earth Day with Girl Scouts of the USA and Danni Washington at the Plant the Future with the Girl Scout Tree Promise virtual event. Be sure to sign up for this free event. We all need to do our part to keep our planet 💚. Plant a 🌳and save our 🌎!! Girl Scout Tree Promise Join Girl Scouts mission to protect the planet from the effects of climate change. With the Elliott Wildlife Values Project and American Forests, Girl Scouts is launching a bold tre

It's National Park Week! It's time for us to explore amazing places, discover stories of history and culture, help out, and find your park. Remember to observe Covid-19 rules and restrictions in your area to keep yourself and all of the other National Park lovers safe. Join in celebrating National Park Week 2021 from April 17 to 25! Parks across the country will host a variety of special programs, events, and digital experiences. There are also special theme days during th

We did it! Happy end of this year’s No Straw November! This year as a whole has presented unexpected events left and right. We are beyond proud of those who have stayed home and are continuing to social distance to help stop the spread of COVID 19. We are especially proud of all the Americans who voted and actively participated in democracy, over a 156 million voters to be exact. As this year's theme was voting, it’s important to understand the role as a voter does not occur

Happy No Straw November! We are at the halfway point of the month which has been jammed packed with historical events. As you know - our theme this year is voting. While voting has already occurred and we have a new President Elect, it's important to know that is not where voting stops. It is a continuing process to be civically engaged more than the occasional 4 years. While the journey doesn't stop here, it's extremely important to acknowledge the record turnout in voting

We hope you all had an amazing and safe Halloween! Happy first day of #nostrawnovember!! As I’m sure you are aware the theme for this year is voting! We are days away from the election that not only determines our nation's elected officials but our local governments. Every aspect of government is important and will have an affect on your life and the environment's life! Let’s get out there (safely) and VOTE VOTE VOTE! We all can’t wait to see the journey you take to reduce yo