FAQs about Cooking and Sustainability merit badges

When I announced that Cooking merit badge and the new Sustainability merit badge would join the Eagle-required list in 2013 and 2014, a lot of you had questions.

You asked about rollout plans, what happens with Scouts nearing the end of the Eagle trail, and an explanation of what will be covered under Sustainability merit badge. At the time, I was silent.

But today, courtesy of Advancement Team Leader Christopher Hunt, I’ve got some answers. Here they are:

Cooking merit badge FAQs

Effective Jan. 1, 2014, the Cooking merit badge will be required in order to obtain the Eagle Scout rank.

  • What about Scouts who started working on Eagle before 2014?
    • Regardless of when a Scout earned the Life rank or began working on Eagle, unless he fulfills all the requirements—with the exception of his board of review—before Jan. 1, 2014, he must earn the Cooking merit badge to become an Eagle Scout.
  • Will the Cooking merit badge requirements change?
    •  Yes. During 2013 the Cooking merit badge will undergo a major revision. The process for implementing changes to merit badges is covered in the Guide to Advancement, topic 7.0.4.2, “What to Do When Requirements Change.” The changes to Cooking will first appear in a revised merit badge pamphlet that will be released during 2013.
  • Once the revised requirements are released, which version will count?
    • cooking-mb-old-and-newThe new requirements become effective Jan. 1, 2015. The BSA allows the following options for the period of time between the release of the revised pamphlet and the Jan. 1, 2015, effective date:
      • If Scouts have already started on the merit badge, they may switch to the new requirements or continue with the old ones until the badge is completed.
      • If Scouts have not already started on the merit badge, they may opt to use the new requirements and the new pamphlet or the old requirements and old pamphlet.
      • If work on the merit badge begins before Jan. 1, 2015, they may use the old requirements and old pamphlet until the badge is completed.
      • In other words, consider 2014 a transition year during which a Scout may use either requirements book.
    • The Guide to Advancement, under the same topic, goes on to say, “There is no time limit between starting and completing a badge, although a counselor may determine so much time has passed since any effort took place that the new requirements must be used.” This will apply to Cooking as well.
  • Let’s say a Scout has already earned Cooking. Will he have to re-earn it with the revised requirements to earn Eagle?
    • No. Scouts completing the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank after Jan. 1, 2014, must earn the Cooking merit badge under either the existing requirements or under the requirements as revised during 2013. Scouts are not required to earn the badge under the new requirement in order to qualify for Eagle.

Sustainability merit badge FAQs

Upon its release during the summer of 2013, Sustainability becomes available as an option with Environmental Science as an Eagle-required merit badge. At that time Scouts may choose to earn Sustainability in place of the currently required Environmental Science.

  • If a Scout earns Sustainability and Environmental Science, do both count toward Eagle?
    • Scouts who have already earned Environmental Science may also earn Sustainability, but only one of the two merit badges would count as “Eagle-required.” The other, however, may count as one of the electives necessary to reach the total of 21 required merit badges.
  • Can you give me a general description of what Sustainability MB will cover?
    • The Sustainability merit badge, in essence, takes conservation and environmental science to another level. The protection, preservation, and management of wildlife and natural resources involved in conservation provide a foundation for what we call environmental science. The latter integrates physical and biological sciences such as ecology, biology, soil science, atmospheric science, and others in order to generate solutions to environmental issues. Sustainability takes off from there by taking responsibility for balancing long-term environmental, social, health, and economic needs with progress and development. It further suggests that development, while meeting the needs of the present, cannot compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
  • What subject areas will Scouts be studying?
    • Ecology
    • Air pollution
    • Water pollution
    • Land pollution
    • Endangered species
    • Pollution prevention, resource recovery, and conservation
    • Ecosystem—living and nonliving
    • Environmental impact
  • What are the requirements for the merit badge?
    • The requirements for Sustainability have not yet been finalized, but initial discussions include the following topics:
      • What is sustainability?
      • Examining our current needs and our choices in meeting them, with attention to extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal
      • Impact on our natural resources
      • Problems we must address, including plastic, electronic, and medical waste; species extinction, and climate change
      • New habits to adopt, including green chemistry, recycling, zero waste, and sustainability-conscious citizens
      • Careers related to sustainability

Other questions?

Leave ’em in the comments below and I’ll see what I can find out.


Photos from flickr. Cooking: Some rights reserved by secondtree.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.