Alameda County Students Walk, Bike, Roll and Carpool to School for the Golden Sneaker Contest March 2-13 2015

Students throughout Alameda County are getting active and engaging in some friendly competition by participating in the fourth annual “Pollution Solution Golden Sneaker Contest.” Approximately 70,000 students from 107 schools are walking, biking, carpooling, and taking transit to school from March 2 – 13. This includes students from 24 schools in Albany, Berkeley, Piedmont and Oakland.

Sponsored by Alameda County’s Safe Routes to Schools Program and funded by the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, this annual contest shows students and parents how easy it is to use green modes of transportation, while promoting healthy activities and teamwork.

“The Golden Sneaker Contest is a great opportunity to encourage students, parents, and teachers to carpool, walk, or ride their bikes to school,” says Alameda CTC Vice-Chair Rebecca Kaplan. “The competition encourages students to engage in daily physical activities, promotes health, and supports environmentally friendly alternatives for getting to school – creating good, sustainable habits for the future.”

The participating classes are striving to have the highest number of students that use active or shared transportation to commute to and from school, in order to receive the coveted “Golden Sneaker” trophy. The school with the greatest increase in student participation will get the ultimate prize, the “Platinum Sneaker,” and will be honored by the Alameda CTC meeting on March 26.

The approval of Measure BB by the voters of Alameda County allows for more funding for the Safe Routes to Schools program,” says Alameda CTC Chair Supervisor Keith Carson. “It provides critical support for schools and their students to get to schools in a healthy and active way, whether that is walking, biking, carpooling or taking transit.”