Brookline Celebrates Car-Free School Day

BROOKLINE, MA - From Public Schools of Brookline: The Brookline Department of Public Health and the Public Schools of Brookline celebrated Car-Free School Day on Wednesday, October 10, encouraging school children to walk, bike or roll to school, for their own health and for the health of the planet.

Hundreds of children walked, rode their bikes or scooters, or took public transportation to school this week instead of hitching a ride in a car. Kids used alternate transportation to raise awareness about the impact fuel emissions have on the environment and to encourage physical activity among Brookline families. Parent volunteers greeted them and stamped their hands with the event logo, a green footprint.

Jeff Walker, a Pierce parent noted at last year's event, "We want kids thinking about health today: how physical activity benefits their health and how fewer cars means a healthier planet. I hope the slogan 'One day I'll leave my car at home,' becomes Brookline's new way of thinking."

Replacing car trips to school with walking, biking, or other modes of travel achieves two goals: 1) it encourages physical activity and 2) it reduces our carbon footprint. According to the CDC, childhood obesity rates in the country have tripled in the last 3 decades. Biking or walking as a form of physical activity can help halt this trend and prevent chronic conditions, such as diabetes. Similarly, when families decide to get to school other than by riding in a car, they help reduce the amount of air pollutants emitted by automobiles.

Car-Free School Day is Brookline's unique way to link with "International Walk to School Day," which involves more than 3 million children from 21 different countries on the same day. It also supports the town's efforts to promote its partner program, Climate Action Brookline (CAB)/ Car-Free School Day will not only bring the community together, but also bring benefits to the town such as less traffic congestion , safer streets, lower transportation costs, and improved accessibility.

Along with the Public Schools of Brookline and the School Green Teams, Car-Free School Day is sponsored by the Brookline Departments of Public Health and Recreation, Brookline's CAB (Climate Action Brookline), and the Selectmen's Climate Action Committee.

Photo courtesy of Public Schools of Brookline