Your school can take an active part in reducing its impact on the environment by reducing the emissions it creates.

You can do this by reducing the amount of energy and water used in your school which will help to reduce the amount of emissions created during energy generation. You can also encourage young people to walk and cycle to school which can be a great way to reduce 'school run' congestion as well as helping to introduce physical activity into their daily routine.

Below are some suggestions to help you achieve some reductions in emissions:

Encourage 'car free' journeys to school

This will help to reduce harmful emissions generated by cars on the school run. It will also improve safety around your school at busy times. Be aware that in slow moving traffic, pollution levels are 2 or 3 times higher inside the car than outside.

There are several ways to encourage children, parents and teachers to take a more environmentally friendly view of getting to work.

1. Hold events at your school such as car-free days, walk to school weeks or bike to school days. These activities are often successful in converting large numbers of pupils to walking and cycling.
2. Create a walking bus scheme to encourage children to walk to school. These have already been a huge success in primary schools and you can apply for funding to start yours.
3. Encourage parents to park a certain distance from your school and walk the remaining distance. This not only encourages physical activity but will also have an impact on safety at busy times of the school day. Some schools have introduced 5-minute walk zones around their school encouraging more parents to park outside the designated area and walk in.

Reduce energy consumption in your school

Check your school's energy usage and see if there is anywhere you can make a saving. You could also consider getting your electricity on a 'green tariff' which guarantee that a proportion of the energy bought has been generated from renewable sources.

You can read more information about this in our article, supplied by Sustrans, the UK's leading sustainable transport charity.