Students at St. Marguerite d’Youville, HWCDSB celebrated the end of another successful EcoSchool year with building a human happy face to support active transportation during the Smart Commute Yellow Day Challenge in June.
The initiative reached the school community by encouraging parents and caregivers to walk with their children. The campaign was launched to students in the first newsletter of the year as well as in the weekly announcement reminders.
Each week, the EcoTeam selected a winning classroom based on classroom participation. The winners were celebrated by receiving a “shoe” door sign, mentioned on announcements, and displayed on a central bulletin board. The bulletin board also contained information about the positive impact of walking or "rolling" to school on the environment, fitness, and health. Graphs displaying progress throughout the year encouraged more students to participate.
Launch a school-wide “walk to school day” or a carpooling campaign including environmental learning on impact of transportation choices in order to earn points towards EcoSchools certification as an Environmental Stewardship campaign. (See page 17 of the Certification guide for more info).
Resource: For information on International Walk to School month check out iWalk, an international organization promoting walk to school month. The iWalk website has great resources to keep you walking all month long. www.iwalktoschool.org
