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Devoran School – encouraging sustainable, climate friendly travel....Why they are doing things to help the climate.... Devoran School, near Truro, has been teaching children for 150 years and has remained an integral part of village life. The village sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with nearby areas of Great Scientific Value and Great Landscape Value. The school uses this outstanding environment to nurture creativity with an awareness and respect for the natural environment. The school community recognises that climate change will have a big impact on the local area and Cornwall as a whole, and want to ensure that their own impact on the climate is limited as much as possible. They recognise that the climate is already beginning to change and the pupils are aware that they will be the teenagers and adults that grow up alongside the increasing effects of climate change. With this knowledge the school is working to limit carbon emissions locally to reduce the threat of climate change. What they are doing.... One of the areas the school has been focussing on in recent years is how the pupils get to and from school. They recognise that the way children get to school has changed in recent years. Concerns over safety, and because of our busy lifestyles, more children are now driven to school. This has lead to increased congestion on local roads, concern over children’s health and well-being from less exercise and importantly worsening pollution levels from car exhausts, which are adding to the problem of climate change. The staff, pupils and parents at Devoran are keen to turn this situation around by encouraging more sustainable Devoran School will soon be moving into a new purpose built school within the village. As part of the preparations for moving, with the help of the County Council’s School Travel Unit, the school is in the process of finalising a new school travel plan. Based on questionnaires completed by parents they are considering all aspects of how pupils get to school. The plan will encourage more parents to get pupils to school without the car, helping the climate, reducing congestion and encouraging well-being. It will include detailed information on cycling to school (the new school includes increased storage capacity for bicycles), information on walking routes and local footpaths. The school is also encouraging the use of local buses and as a last resort getting parents to share the school run to reduce the number of cars making the journey each day. Why it’s important….. Climate change will affect all aspects of our lives in Cornwall. It is clear that we are already seeing changes in our weather which will effect how we live, learn and work and will have an impact on habitats and wildlife, including the designated sites that currently exist in Devoran. Everyday decisions we take, such as driving children to school, directly impact the climate as our cars rely on fossil fuels, which when burnt releases gases, and in particular carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere which drive climate change. Figures from Climate change will get worse, but it is not too late to do something about it. By taking simple steps now, such as walking, cycling or using the bus, instead of the car, we can slow climate change down and protect the climate for future generations. Every tonne of carbon dioxide emitted commits the world to more warming. But every tonne we avoid emitting helps reduce the risk. Travelling more sustainably is not difficult and has real benefits for the climate, your health and the local community. Devoran School is showing what can be done at a local level to encourage sustainable travel. It is also good news for schools, as it reduces congestion at the school gate, makes local roads safer and encourages fitness in pupils. Further information.... For more information on climate change you can visit our understanding climate change pages. For details on travelling more sustainably you can visit the Government’s Greener Living website. Friends of the Earth have also produced a free fact sheet about the environmental impacts of transport, which provide advice on how you can make a difference. To find out more about Devoran School you can visit their website. For more information on school travel plans and why travelling to school sustainably is so important visit Cornwall County Council School Travel website.Walk to School image courtesy of Devoran School
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Related LinksClimate Change Devoran School Defra Sustainable Travel Cornwall County Council Friends of the Earth
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travel to school. They have been organising a walking bus to school for the last three years where parents walk their children to school together each day, instead of using the car. They also encourage pupils that live in the village to walk or cycle to school. To help promote sustainable travel the school also take parts in the annual National Walk to School Week, which this year saw over 80 children walking to school. 
Defra show that in 2004 21% of the total UK carbon dioxide emissions came from the 