Springtime walks to school
It’s not exactly spring yet, but here in Oregon the weather has been excellent. It’s still pretty cold but very sunny and with a coat it’s good walking weather. Depending on where you live spring may already be starting to sort of show its head and those sunnier skies are the perfect excuse to skip morning car rides and walk to school.
Don’t like walking? Try skateboarding, biking, or taking a scooter to school. All of these modes of transportation are more eco-friendly and healthier than driving. I get that in super chilly weather or once in a while when folks are running late a warm and faster car sounds good, but I don’t get why so many families drive to school every single school day, especially those who live within reasonable walking distance. I’ve seriously met plenty of families who literally drive their kids four blocks to school in nice weather – WHAT?
The CDC notes, “One in three children born in the year 2000 will have diabetes, and 30 percent of them are overweight, and the cost of treating diabetes in the United States is estimated at $174 billion each year.” Now, experts can’t prove that kids are overweight from any one cause (yet), but my guess is bad school lunches, poor parenting – i.e. handing out happy meals, chips and soda 24/7 and a total lack of movement among kids and adults.
You can fight bad school lunches, you can be a smarter parent, and you can get kids moving with a daily walk to school.
Not only health benefits are at stake though eco-benefits of walking to school are many and walking to school can save you money both on gas and health care costs.
[image via stock.xchng]
Post from: Blisstree