It is a common question at Eagle Boards of Review: If you were to add another point to the Scout Law, what would it be? This week in a Scouting Magazine article, author Robert Birkby reported that at one point in Scouting history, there was a push to add a 13th point to the Scout Law. In the early days of the Boy Scouts of America, Gifford Pinchot, BSA's first Chief Scout Forester, wanted to add a 13th point related to conservation. He offered three choices:
- A Boy Scout wastes nothing, but makes the best use of all that he has.
- A Boy Scout tries to leave the place where he has lived better than he found it.
- A Boy Scout knows the Nation will continue after he is dead, and tries to stop the waste of natural resources.
Obviously, none of these roll off the tongue like the other 12. Imagine, "A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent, and a Boy Scout knows the Nation will continue after he is dead, and tries to stop the waste of natural resources." It is no surprise that the rest of BSA directors said no and thus there was no 13th point to the Scout Law. Yet, we do have points of the Scout Law that already address conservation. Consider:
- A Scout is Trustworthy. The Nation trusts that a Scout will take care of the environment.
- A Scout is Helpful. If a Scout sees a piece of trash, he picks it up, regardless if it is his or not.
- A Scout is Courteous. When hiking or camping, a Scout ensures he leaves no trace so that others may enjoy the land with the same benefit of beauty.
- A Scout is Thrifty. A Scout only uses what he needs and only takes from natural resources what he needs to survive, not destroying plants and wildlife just for sport or play.
Conservation is at the essence of who we are. It is part of our brand. A Scout is.