The Forgotten Promise

I have witnessed thousands and thousands of openings for pack, and troop meetings and they pretty much are all the same.
Every meeting began with the flag ceremony and the Pledge of Alliegence, and then followed by the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack, or the Boy Scout Promise and the Boy Scout Laws.
Not one time have I ever heard anyone in any unit recite the Outdoor Code.
Few leaders will be able to repeat the code. They know what it means or is suppose to mean but cannot remember how the Outdoor Code goes.
The Outdoor Code is one of the requirements that a boy scout need to remember and memorize to earn their scout badge but time and time again it seems that the Outdoor Code is locked away in their short term memory and filed in the circular file system of the brain after the Scout badge is issued to that scout.
We as leaders should be ashamed of ourselves as we are the ones that shelf this all important promise and bring it our once a year when we test our scouts on the Scout badge requirements.
Often looking at the handbook or the wallet card that the code is written on (I include myself in that boat too).
I give a standing ovation to those leaders that do remember this code and I think that it is time for me to brush up on the Outdoor Code:

The Outdoor Code

As an American, I will do my best to -
Be clean in my outdoor manners. I will treat the outdoors as a heritage.I will take care of it for myself and othersI will keep my trash and garbage out of lakes, streams, fields, woods, and roadways.
Be careful with fire.I will prevent wildfire.I will build my fires only where they are appropriate.When I have finished using a fire, I will make sure it is cold out.I will leave a clean fire ring, or remove all evidence of my fire.
Be considerate in the outdoors.I will treat public and private property with respect.I will use low-impact methods of hiking and camping.
and
Be conservation mindedI will learn how to practice good conservation of soil, waters, forests, minerals, grasslands, wildlife, and energy.I will urge others to do the same.