Page 2 - ES Summer 2 Newsletter 2022

A letter from our guest editor
Encouraging active travel to school,
that is to use our own energy to get
us from home to the school gates, has
great benefits for our physical health,
our mental health, and the health of
the planet. During my time working
with a wide range of Eco-Schools in
Wales, I have found that the Transport
topic is often one of the trickiest
areas to tackle as a school. However,
if achieved it can make a huge impact.
We understand how difficult it can
be to change habits, so do be sure to
celebrate any achievements in this
area, big or small.
According to the brilliant book, ‘How
Bad are Bananas?’ by Mike Berners-
Lee, travelling one mile in the average
car generates 530g of greenhouse
gases. I challenge your school to think
about the greenhouse gas savings that
your pupils are making if they already
walk or cycle to school, and maybe ask
everyone to think about how else they
could travel using their own energy to
save even more.
What about the other influences we
have on transport? Think about all
the food and goods we use in school
or the things we buy. Every piece of
fruit we eat has travelled a distance to
get to school, whether it’s a banana
from Costa Rica or an apple from the
Contents
school orchard. It’s an eye-opening
activity to investigate the logistics of
how items reach us and how far they > A letter from our guest editor
have travelled. Think about the story a
bunch of South African grapes would > Transport
tell us if they could speak!
I hope you enjoy exploring the topic of > Taking Action
Transport in this newsletter and find
inspiration by the resources, ideas, and > Air Quality
case studies.
> Roadside Litter
> Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel
> Top tips for the school commute
> Resources
> What’s Coming Up?
> Reading Recommendations
> Be Inspired
> Support
> Plantlife
- Tim Wort, Education Manager, and
support for Wrexham Eco-Schools