Students across River Forest School District 90 helped take a few cars off the road in honor of Earth Day by biking or walking to school.
Organized by the district’s Green4Good Committee in partnership with the PTOs, Walk and Bike to School week celebrated the planet and motivated students to take small actions to help protect the environment.
Because families generally live close to the schools, Ginny Sara, who leads Willard’s Green4Good, said the district doesn’t have a bus service, which makes biking and walking that much more of a great option for families.
Mimi Nash, a second grader at Willard, often walks to school, but said it was cool to see more kids walking and riding their bikes to school last Wednesday morning.
Not only was it cool, but it is also a good way to try and help the environment, she added.
“Cars have gas and that floats into the air,” Mimi said.
Other ways Mimi said she tries: not buying a lot of things and avoiding plastic.
To celebrate, students also received a colorful ribbon made from old T-shirts, which many students continue to show off on their backpacks or bikes for the rest of the year.
“It just kind of shows that they are supportive of walking and biking to school and helping the planet,” Sara said, adding that having something tangible that students could keep has been positive. “I think it encourages some kids to start participating.”
Avery Tyrrell, a fourth grader, also joined others in walking to school.
“If you go in your car to school, it has gas so that is less helpful to the environment,” Avery said. “[Walking] just helps the grass, the trees, the plants, everything grow.”
Sara said the school is always trying to find new ways to be more environmentally friendly.
The district’s Green4Good also held its annual community bike exchange Saturday, April 13, which was once again a success.
“The more we can try not to fill the landfill or continue to fill the landfills and do as much as we can, they are small things, but these little things will make a difference overall,” Sara said.