Thousands of Students Walk to School

Thousands of Nova Scotia students from more than 100 schools walked or biked to school today, Oct. 5, to mark International Walk to School Day.

"I thank the principals, teachers and parents who supported their children and students in walking to school today," said Health Promotion Minister Rodney MacDonald, who walked with students at Portland Estates Elementary school in Dartmouth. "Events like this one teach all of us how important it is to take care of our health and stay active, for ourselves and for our community."

Portland Estates Elementary is Nova Scotia's poster school this year, recognizing the work students and employees of the school have done to create safe and fun opportunities to be active. This includes the "walking school bus", where students line up in pairs with a parent at the front and walk to school, stopping on the way to pick up other students.

International Walk to School Day, celebrated every October, teaches children how walking, cycling or other active modes of transportation help improve health, reduce air pollution and climate change, and how to minimize unsafe traffic around schools.

"We all have to take part in the effort to become more active on a daily basis," said Mr. MacDonald. "By providing safe and fun opportunities for youth to be active, we are increasing the likelihood that they will lead active and healthy lifestyles as adults."

International Walk to School Day is an initiative of Active and Safe Routes to School, a program encouraging the use of active modes of transportation to and from school. In Nova Scotia, the program is co-ordinated by the Ecology Action Centre in partnership with Nova Scotia Health Promotion.