Mole Valley does its bit to end school run madness

July 6, 2007: Children from 241 Mole Valley schools joined the Golden Boot challenge to reduce their carbon footprint at the end of last term, says Surrey County Council.

The aim is to cut down the estimated 70 million Surrey school journeys are made by car each year. "Families would never be able to plant enough trees to balance out that scale of carbon emission,” said school travel policy coordinator Dave Sharpington.

“A much better plan is to cut down the amount of carbon generated by school runs in the first place and the Golden Boot Challenge has proved that this is an achievable goal.”

The scheme, part of Surrey County Council’s Safe Routes to Schools initiative, has been run county-wide for the last four years and schools that have really taken the message to heart now make over 90 per cent of school journeys by sustainable means.

Bookham's own Dawnay School is the greenest in Mole Valley when it comes to school runs thanks to the Golden Boot. One of the parents, mother Julia Dickinson, said the school had taken up the challenge every year: “The children are very keen and we get really good participation. The Challenge has helped to change people’s philosophy on travel and is a very helpful annual reminder to stay green.

“The schools in our cluster have made sustainable development the goal so it feeds into the wider Sustainable Schools Initiative.”

This year the challenge is flexible so that schools can make the most of this opportunity to involve parents and children in sustainable travel planning. Pupils are encouraged to persuade parents to leave the car at home and they then score points by using an environmentally friendly alternative. Classes compete with each other to be the greenest travellers and the winner receives a splendid Golden Boot trophy. And if they need a little encouragement, the much loved Safe Routes to Schools Mascot, Freddy Fox, resplendent in his very own pair of Golden Boots, will be there to spur them on.

The fifth anniversary challenge runs between 11 June and 6 July and schools can opt to travel green for four Fridays or the full 20 days. New initiatives are the on-line registration for speed and convenience and interactive white boards to help teachers record the way in which the children are travelling, for example by scooter, pony or bicycle. It is widely held up by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) as an example of good practice to be shared nationally with other local authorities as one of the most successful green travel campaigns in the UK, and has been copied already by schools in Estonia.

“The Golden Boot Challenge is a brilliant way of showing children that they can each make a difference, both to their own health and also to the planet, by reducing their carbon footprint,” said Surrey County Council’s Executive Member for Transport, David Munro.

“The council is making 2007 the year when it develops comprehensive policies to deal with climate change and the Challenge plays an important role in encouraging the young generation to choose sustainable green travel.”