Put on your walking shoes or helmet because Every Metre Counts!

Our website Every Metre Counts is officially launching in October as part of International Walk to School Month activities.

What is Every Metre Counts?

Every Metre Counts is an online hub to find info to help you walk or roll to school or the bus stop. While the site is mainly geared to the school community, anyone who wants to stay active can check it out and get moving.

Need to know how far it is to your school?

Click on the walk and roll map, find your school name to see if it will take you approximately 0 to 5, 5 to 10, 10 to 20 or 20 to 30-minutes to walk to your school.

Will it make a difference?

Yes, it will. While there are many reasons for parents and kids to walk and roll together, there is also a friendly competition between school boards and individual schools. And, since the information you enter is available in real time, you can see your impact right away!

How can I get started?

Use our new Trip Counter app to calculate your trip to school in metres. Once you’ve done that, you can see:

  • The leading Halton school board and age group (elementary vs secondary school)
  • Total metres travelled
  • Students’ commuting preference such as walk, scooter, bike, blade and board
  • The Top 10 Active Schools
  • Active travel vs driving

What’s next?

Check out the site’s calendar which highlights upcoming active activities.

November’s activity is to organize an Anti-Idling Campaign. If you’re in Burlington and need resources for your campaign, including posters, bookmarks, stickers or to borrow a large outdoor banner that can be attached to a fence on school property to remind drivers to turn off their engines, contact environment@burlington.ca.

Take action, Halton! Let’s encourage our youth to walk or roll to school for their health and our environment. Collectively, we can make a difference.

Credit: Take Action Burlington – Link here

Erica EmeryPut on your walking shoes or helmet because Every Metre Counts!
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Active Activity Ideas

Weekly Walk to School Days

Pick one or two days a week to promote active transportation to and from school (walking, biking, rolling, etc.) to students. Some ideas include:

School staff are encouraged to keep track of the total number of metres walked to school and enter it into our new Trip Counter app! This information is then displayed in a variety of ways, including by school and board comparisons.

Kilometre Club

Create a Kilometre Club at your school where students can get together during recess or lunch and walk or jog around the school yard.

  1. School staff first have to determine the distance of one lap around the yard, so that students know how many laps are required to reach one kilometre.
  2. Popsicle sticks (or something similar) can be used as a method to track the number of kilometres completed by students. Each student receives one popsicle stick for every kilometre completed.
  3. Back in the classroom, students count the popsicle sticks collected by the entire class to get the total kilometres traveled.

Each week, total the kilometres completed by all participating classes for the school total.

Setting Distance Goals

Create distance goals to get students excited about staying active. Some popular distance goals include:

  • Walk across Halton 45 km
  • Walk across Ontario 2,100 km
  • Walk across Canada 4,828 km
  • Walk around the Earth 40,000 km
  • Walk to the Moon 384,400 km

Golden Shoe Award

One way schools can encourage participation (and add some friendly competition!) is by making a “Golden Shoe Award” out of an old sneaker that is spray-painted gold. This prestigious award can go to the class with the highest percentage of students who use active transportation to get to school, the class that reached their distance goal first, etc.

Share Your Activities!

We would love to hear about how your school encourages active transportation! Share your story and photos with us by email everymetrecounts@gmail.com or Twitter @EMCHalton.

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Erica EmeryActive Activity Ideas
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Top 10 Reasons For Parents and Kids to Walk & Roll to School Together

  1. IT’S FUN
    Do you remember biking or walking to school when you were a kid? It’s energizing!
  2. IT’S GREEN
    Bikes and feet cool the Earth.
  3. DRIVE LESS, STRESS LESS
    Avoid waiting in long school drop-off and pick-up car lines. Ditch the car, and enjoy the many benefits of green travel.
  4. UNFORGETABLE MEMORIES
    Your child will never forget your time together walking or biking to school.
  5. ENJOY THE GREAT OUTDOORS
    Check out the sights and sounds of your community. Make walking and biking to school a fresh air adventure.
  6. BRAIN POWER
    Students who bike or use their feet to get school arrive more alert and ready to learn with a clear mind.
  7. SAVE MONEY
    Green travel choices equal a greener bank account for your family.
  8. PEDAL FOR EXERCISE
    Looking for ways to integrate physical fitness into your child’s daily life? Teach them the lifelong lesson of using their bike or feet to get places. Cycling is one of the best forms of exercise.
  9. DEVELOPS INDEPENDENCE
    Take a break from driving. Teach your child the popular route to school from home and watch them go – with friends!
  10. CONNECT WITH NEIGHBOURS
    Walking and talking with others on the way to school bonds communities and strengthens friendships for life.
Erica EmeryTop 10 Reasons For Parents and Kids to Walk & Roll to School Together
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Bike to School Week 2018 a Huge Success!

Thank you Halton students for helping to make Bike to School Week 2018 so successful!

Bike to School Week began on May 28, and ended on June 1, 2018. An estimated 550 schools participated by biking, walking, and rolling to and from school across Ontario!

School Activities

Schools were encouraged to host their own Bike to School Week activities.

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School
Students at St. Thomas Aquinas CSS were encouraged through daily announcements over a 2 week period to participate in Bike to School Week. The school generously provided a bike to be raffled off to participants at the end of the week!

Members of the St. Thomas Aquinas CSS environment group the STA GreenRaiders were posted outside of the school each morning during Bike to School Week to give raffle tickets to those students who cycled, walked, and skateboarded to school. As the week progressed, St. Thomas Aquinas noted that they seen an increase in the number of students finding an alternative method of transport to school!

Sarah (pictured below) was the big winner of the new bike! Approximately 70 students participated throughout Bike to School Week at St. Thomas Aquinas CSS.

We would love to hear about any Bike to School Week activities your school participated in! Please send your event details and photos to everymetrecounts@gmail.com.

Halton Prize Winners!

All schools who reported their Bike to School Week activities across Halton were entered into a random prize draw.

Congratulations to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Elementary School (pictured below) for winning a $200 Mountain Equipment Co-op gift card!

Congratulations to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School for winning a school-day trip to Try the Track at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario!

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Erica EmeryBike to School Week 2018 a Huge Success!
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