Montrose, CO — The City of Montrose is proud to partner with a new ally in the effort to promote recycling throughout the community as a local Boy Scout, in an effort to earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout, has selected the Montrose community as the primary beneficiary of his Eagle Scout project.
Jack Flower, age 16, is working to raise local awareness about recycling and its benefits as a public service to help his community. During the April 17 City Council work session, councilors heard from Flower and his plan to assist the community.
An Eagle Scout service project is an opportunity for a Scout to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of any religious institution, any school, or his community.
“I want my project to benefit my whole community and there’s no better way to benefit Montrose than to improve the environment we all share,” Flower said. “Promoting and teaching efficient recycling can have a long-lasting impact on our community.”
During his presentation before the council, Flower said his project was part action, through public service, and part educational to help raise awareness. The educational component consists of researching physical examples of what is acceptable to recycle and what is not in the city’s recycling program.
From this research, Flower hopes to answer questions about what the city can recycle, address common misconceptions of recycling and its costs, and inform residents throughout the community about how they can help.
Flower plans to begin his research during International Earth Week, which is April 16 to 22. Following this research period, Flower intends to compile his findings and present them to the community through a number of methods.
(Jack Flower, center, addresses City Councilors and staff during an April 17, 2023 work session where he presented his project, and his plan to boost recycling awareness in Montrose.)
“Our community does a great job recycling, but there is room for improvement. It can be difficult to know what materials can be recycled. I am excited that Jack has chosen to help the Montrose community with his Eagle Scout project,” Montrose Mayor Barbara Bynum said.
The public service component of Flower’s project consists of using members of his Troop 491 to staff the Montrose Summer Music Series concert in Cerise Park on June 2. Members of Troop 491 will provide free educational materials to attendees and work to make sure items used at the concert are properly recycled in compliance with the city’s recycling program. Flower said the troop is working with the non-profit Montrose Recycles group that has also offered to help at the concert.
The final phase of the project will be the actual clean-up during and after the Montrose Summer Music Series concert.
“The Summer Music Series offers an opportunity to interact with thousands of members of the community,” Flower said. “Attendees will see the commitment the Boy Scouts have to keep our environment clean. I’m hoping that we can provide a valuable service to the city and enhance our understanding of how recycling can help. By working together, I believe we can make a difference.”