Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Being Conservation Minded
March 27, 2007
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

Last week, we reviewed Scouting's Outdoor Code. This is a basic teaching of Boy Scouts. So basic that it is part of what you learn to achieve the rank of "Scout". Once again, it states: "As an American I will do my best to: Be clean in my outdoor manners; Be careful with fire; Be considerate in the outdoors; and Be conservation minded."

Tonight I'd like to focus on the last element of the Outdoor Code: "Be conservation minded". I have read other publications that expand on this to say "Learn how to practice good conservation of soil, waters, forests, minerals, grasslands, wildlife, and energy, and urge others to do the same."

Last week I mentioned that we have someone right in our troop who has excelled at this. Our former Scoutmaster of 13 years, George Denise, works in real estate management for Cushman-Wakefield and for the past several years has been responsible for managing the Adobe Towers in downtown San Jose. Since he has stepped down as Scoutmaster, Mr. Denise has been busier than ever. And Scouting values continue to be prominent in his life and career. In June of last year, the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) named Cushman & Wakefield the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Environmental Project of the Year award, for its energy-efficient accomplishments at Adobe.

At Adobe, he helped them reduce electricity usage by 37% and natural gas usage by 41%. Water use is down by 22% and water use for lansdscape irrigation is down by 76%. Overall, Adobe has reduced pollution from all sources by 26%. Not only is this good for the environment, but Mr. Denise helped show them that it was a huge cost savings as well, and estimated the total return on investment to be about 120%

In December of last year, Adobe Systems became the world's first company to achieve three platinum-level certifications for Energy and Environmental Design Excellence, awarded by the United States Green Building Council. In doing so, they have raised the bar for other companies, worldwide. This award was due in large part to Mr. Denise's efforts. He has now been travelling throughout the country giving talks to other companies about conservation and how to make their buildings more energy efficient. He told me that doing Scoutmaster Minutes for all those years helped him become a better thinker, presenter, and speaker. This week he is speaking at an Annual Achievement Conference in Orlando Florida, and follows former President Bill Clinton!

We can all be proud of Troop 325's own Mr. George Denise, and use him as an example of how to apply scout values in everyday life.

Thank you for listening.