Mayo schools will join thousands of students across Ireland next week by taking part in National Walk to School Week 2011, which takes place from May 16 to 20. Lots of schools have decided to celebrate the week in their own unique way by creating special walking buses, participating in walking tours, walking fitness workshops, Park’N’Stride events and nature walks - with the ultimate aim of increasing the number of students who make the school journey on foot during the week. An Taisce’s Green-Schools Travel programme’s Walk to School Week is a countrywide initiative which will result in thousands of pupils, their parents and teachers walking to and from school, to promote the environmental, health, social and financial benefits of active travel on the school journey.
The initiative is the only one of its kind in Ireland which specifically promotes active and sustainable travel on the journey to school and has become one of the most important action awareness weeks in the Irish school calendar. Green schools across the country are encouraged to celebrate the benefits of walking and to encourage the whole school community to walk – with many declaring their school a car-free zone during the week.
