The Walking Schoolbus

CoolMoms Choose:  Walking and Biking to School!

Nancy Spraggins, a Seattle mother of three, keeps the planet and kids healthy by leading a walking school bus.  Nancy can frequently be seen on her bicycle, with her youngest son riding with her. Nancy's family has also chosen to live in a neighborhood close to downtown, an easy bus or bike ride away.  Nancy knows that her daily choices will make a difference in the world her kids inherit.

How does walking to school stop climate change?

The transportation choices moms make have an impact on global warming. Every time we drive a car, use electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heat our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the air. The overabundance of these greenhouse gases is causing our planet to heat up.  According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, cars and trucks represent some 25 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.  Therefore, we must make a real effort to reduce transportation emissions.  Walking or biking not only cuts commuting emissions to zero, it also helps keep our kids healthy and strong.

How does the walking school bus work?

A walking school bus is when a group of children walk to school with one or more adults. The beauty of the walking school bus is it's simplicity. It can be as easy as two families taking turns walking their children to school. It can also mean a more structured route with meeting points, a timetable and a regularly rotated schedule of trained volunteers. You can find many helpful hints about the benefits of walking to school and how to set up a walking school bus at these site:

www.walkingschoolbus.org

Showing our kids the way

The choices we make every day create a lasting impression on our kids. If we show them every trip begins in the car, then that is what they will do as adults.  Kids who spend time outside ar also more likely to develop an affinity for the environment and are more likely to be future environmental stewards themselves.