Kilkenny take note - next week is National Walk To School Week

Green-Schools National Walk to School Week begins on Monday, September 19 for five days. Taking place in the new calendar slot of September, this year’s Walk to School Week (WTSW) joins European Mobility Week and the international Walk21 Conference at TU Dublin in celebrating walking, active transport, and sustainable solutions to congestion at schools around Ireland. 

Green-Schools is Ireland’s leading environmental management and education programme for schools. Promoting long-term, whole-school action for the environment Green-Schools is a student-led programme with involvement from the wider community. 

The Green-Schools Travel Programme works in partnership with schools to promote active, sustainable travel on the journey to school. Green-Schools Travel Officers will be busy working directly with schools next week on WOW Days (Walk on Wednesday), conducting walkability audits, promoting active travel and delivering workshops in schools focused on giving students and the school’s wider community the tools to change habits, build better ones and create a school environment that is accessible and enjoyable for all. 

This year’s new WTSW-focused resource for primary schools ‘Investigate & Create’ allows students the opportunity to capture their experience of walking to school and bring this to their classroom for further discussion. 

Following the recent release of the Green-Schools Speedweek Report, WTSW organisers are keen to remind everyone of the straightforward steps they can take to create more welcoming front of school environments for students. 

Ciara Norton, Manager of the Green-Schools Travel Programme outlines: 

“Next week is about enjoyment for children and young people of all ages who might already walk to school or those who need a gentle nudge to start the school year off on foot (or by scooter/bike/public transport). We are really looking forward to visiting schools around the country and seeing the great ways that school communities are promoting walking and other active journeys. 

“I would like to call on everyone – not just parents and guardians – to consider their behaviour when driving near a school: slow down, park considerately. Speed limits around schools are not obeyed as our recent Speedweek Report showed. I would also ask those who must drive to schools to turn their engines off and stop idling, for improved air quality for all.”

With National Walking Day also taking place on September 25, the week ahead creates a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to consider incorporating walking into their everyday journeys and for vital discussions to be had about how we can transform our communities to welcome walkers. 

Learn more at: https://greenschoolsireland.org/event/walk-to-school-week-2022/