Schools throughout Donegal took part in An Taisce’s Green-Schools’ National Walk to School Week 2017, the ninth annual celebration of walking to school, which took place from May 15th to 19th.
Schools encouraged students, families and teachers to enjoy walking to school and to focus on continuing to journey to school on foot into the summer months – and year ‘round!
Green-Schools National Walk to School Week is a country-wide initiative which has resulted in thousands of pupils, their parents and teachers walking to and from school, to celebrate the environmental, health, social and financial benefits of active travel on the school journey.
WOW day at Scoil Mhuire, Pettigo
Building on the success of last year’s National Walk to School Week, Green-Schools hoped that this year’s figure will surpass last year’s figure of 35,000 people walking to school, on National WOW (Walk on Wednesday) Day.
The week was also an opportunity for schools to try other modes of travel including: cycling, scooting, Park ‘n’ Stride, carpooling and travelling by bus.
Green-Schools National Walk to School Week is one of the most important action awareness weeks in the Irish school calendar and is the only one of its kind in Ireland which promotes active and sustainable travel on the journey to school.
WOW day Donagh NS, Carndonagh
Áine O’Loughlen, Green-Schools Travel Officer in Donegal said “Green-Schools is committed to promoting walking on the journey to school as the mode of choice for families. This year, our focus as an organisation has been to help schools to advocate for lower speed limits outside their gates, ideally 30kph.
“As part of my work I’ve assisted schools in conducting walkability and cycleability audits. These audits have resulted in infrastructural improvements (small, medium and large scale!) that allow the students to walk to school with a greater degree of safety. Schools in Donegal have really shown that they know how to make their school journeys greener and healthier by participating in this week of awareness and action.”
