Newport News Public Works Recovery Operations Center recently hosted the inaugural Boy Scouting Sustainability Merit Badge Conference and Tour. The project was designed to expose Boy Scouts, their leaders, and their parents to the wide variety of resources and opportunities in effective environmental stewardship. Public Works employees provided detailed briefings on processes for recycling and resource management, waste collection, post-closure practices for the retired landfill. The conference and tour were designed to enhance understanding of challenges and solutions to land use and waste and resource management. 
 
To earn their badge, more than 50 Scouts completed a series of tasks and research based on information they had received from Public Works in a unique working classroom at the Recovery Operations Center. The Scouts also used resources provided by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Waterworks, Engineering the James River Foundation and several others to complete the research. Guests rotated through work and demonstration stations that showcased various programs and processes, as well as the interrelations between different agencies and resources.