Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

These 3 famous R’s aren’t losing popularity anytime soon. In fact, the Summit designers are wholeheartedly supporting them with some big plans to cut back on waste at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree.

The idea is less plastic, more composting, as much recycling as possible and a little thinking outside the box.

(If you think recycling at the Summit sounds cool, share this story and see how they do it in Quebec. Think recycling flash mob.)

For starters, the Summit plans to implement a composting system.

In other words, no food at the Summit will go to waste. All biodegradable material, such as lunch leftovers, will be put to good use through composting. The nutrient-rich soil created can be used to reduce or completely eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers at the Summit.

That means the Summit is not only reducing the waste and garbage that has to be removed from the site, but also decreasing the need for additional topsoil and chemicals to be brought to the site as well.

In addition, plastic PET water bottles (like the kind you get out of a vending machine) will be a no-no. Instead, Scouts should bring their own personal water bottle, which they can refill at water stations all over the Summit.

By bringing your own water bottle, you can help to reduce  the amount of plastic waste at the Summit.

For the waste that can’t be avoided or reused, reduction is the answer. The Summit will compress all non-recyclable waste to minimize impact and make fewer trips for the garbage truck.

Bonus result? Less noise and air pollution.

Of course, there will be some materials that can’t be reused or reduced, so what will we do with those?

You guessed it.  Recycle.

Recycling bins will be placed throughout the Summit for materials like plastic, paper, and glass making it easy for both Scouts and visitors to dispose of their recyclable goods.

All of these changes appear to be pretty minor, but they’ll definitely result in a greener, friendlier jamboree experience. Excited yet?