5 Ways to Integrate Sustainability in Safe Routes to School
Contact: Hannah Day-Kapell, Principal, Alta
As students and families begin another year of school, we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the joy of walking and rolling to class. These forms of transportation can increase energy and endurance, reduce stress and tension, and improve mood, cognition, memory and sleep. All of these factors are important for growing bodies and minds, not to mention, it’s fun!
We know exercising is good for our health, but we need safe and comfortable spaces to do so. Alta’s holistic approach to transportation includes green infrastructure, and we bring that philosophy to Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs to make it not only safer, but more comfortable and enjoyable to walk and roll to school.
Our SRTS leaders are having conversations about ways to integrate sustainability in their planning practices. From reducing the urban heat island effect to integrating with emergency planning efforts, here are 5 ways you can work with communities to create safer and more resilient communities through SRTS plans.
- Improve and increase shade trees to reduce heat islands. A 2023 SRTS Implementation Strategy for North Wasco School District (The Dalles, OR) aligned the City’s street trees program with its SRTS plan by prioritizing tree planting along routes to schools. The trees provide a shade canopy for students, increasing safety and comfort for students and families choosing active modes. Check with your community to see if there’s a street tree program or Green Team for opportunities to collaborate. You can also invite the city arborist or forester to be part of your SRTS planning process.
- Use bioswales as traffic safety measures. San Mateo County had funding for stormwater management and opened the funding opportunity to bioswales in curb extensions, particularly along routes to school. The structures not only provide greenery and sustainability benefits, but also serve as traffic calming for kids getting to school and provide a comfortable buffer from cars.
- Connect students to their environment. Alta teamed with non-profit Amigos de los Rios to implement a unique walking school bus program that addressed public health, safety, and environmental sustainability, as well as economic stability in El Monte, CA. Each route was associated with an animal native to the area – great egret, thin-legged frog, and the bighorn sheep. After a full year of daily walking school bus trips, we can confidently say that the program built community, supported families, and offered a safe way for students to get to school together. One of the biggest successes was the “Step Into Spring” walking contest, in which each student who joined a walking school bus placed a leaf on the “Step into Spring” poster — a tree that symbolized springtime and the environmental benefits of walking. Learn more in the Final Report.
- Incorporate extreme weather planning in Safe Routes programs. Schools are often used as gathering spaces, cooling centers, or evacuation zones during weather emergencies. On the Oregon coast, many newer school buildings are evacuation shelters and need to have accessible walking and biking routes to access. There’s an opportunity to incorporate emergency routes into SRTS programs as extreme weather becomes more commonplace. This can help build safer, more prepared, and more resilient communities.
- Pair holidays with sustainable messaging. Earth Day is a great way to encourage regular walking, biking, and rolling to and from school. The Seattle area’s King County Metro created messaging around Earth Month to gain momentum for SRTS programs. Some messaging even included giving out plantable bookmarks for students to start a garden and appreciate the natural environment.
What conversations are you having in your communities? Have you seen green infrastructure solutions in SRTS programs? We want to hear from you! Reach out to Hannah Day-Kapell at hannahday-kapell@altago.com to start a conversation.
