Silver Award Girl Scout, MacKenzie Michaud

Morgan's Beach Improvements

MacKenzie, like many other residents in her town, enjoys spending time at Morgan's Beach. What she doesn’t enjoy is seeing people litter and leave their garbage behind at the beach. MacKenzie reached out to the beach caretaker, who became her project advisor, to determine why people mistreated the shore front. MacKenzie and her advisor spent time observing beach-goers and determined one of the reasons why people littered was because they didn’t know about the existing garbage and recycling receptacles. MacKenzie also observed that people were more likely to litter upon entering or leaving the changing facilities, which were in disrepair. MacKenzie used her creativity and decided the best way to make an impact on the environment at Morgan's Beach would be by informing people about the harmful effects of pollution.

For her Silver Award project, MacKenzie constructed four new doors for the changing stalls at the beach and painted different murals, inspired by the environment, on each door. Each mural included a different saying such as “Be a part of the solution and not a part of the pollution!” and “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something! Help keep our beach clean!” MacKenzie was excited to see her community’s reaction to the new doors and hear their feedback on the murals.

MacKenzie advises others that are interested in earning their Silver Award to “plan ahead and do their best to stick to their schedule.” When asked what she learned through her project MacKenzie says: “I developed better communication and leadership skills. I learned that I love helping out my community.”