International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies
The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies is recognised globally each September. This day was established by the United Nations (UN) in 2019 to raises awareness about air pollution highlight the impacts that everyday activities can have on our air quality. Everyone is encouraged to take action to improve air quality around the world.
🚌 🚊 Travel to School Survey 👟 🚗
This year, the Primary Environmental Committee (EC) collected data on how we travel to school and discovered some interesting trends.
Their survey found that 38% of Primary students travel to school by car. While this data doesn’t take into account carpooling, or if the vehicles are electric or petrol, it does highlight opportunities for us to make more environmentally friendly travel choices.
One option is to take the school bus. The survey found that only 20.3% of Primary Students use the school bus. Our bus provider, Top Do, offers a variety of routes across Hong Kong and there may be one that services your area.
As an international school, we understand that our families live across Hong Kong. The survey found that only 5.2% of our Primary students walk to school. As our school serves all of Hong Kong, this number is understandable.
The survey also found that 36.4% of Primary students travel using public transport. Interestingly, public transport use was higher in Upper Primary than in Early Childhood. Hong Kong's excellent MTR and bus networks make public transport a convenient option for many families. Adults can even take advantage of Early Bird fare discounts between 7:15am and 8:15am, while children benefit from reduced fares.
What Can We Do?
🚌 Use public transport when possible
🚙Carpool with another family or friends that live nearby
👟Walk, cycle, or scoot for local journeys
💡Turn off lights and devices not in use
🌳 Plant and care for trees and gardens
♻️Reduce, reuse and recycle
"Small Actions today, Cleaner Air, Brighter Blue Skies tomorrow!"
🚶🏻♀️➡️ Walk for House Points 🚶
This past Monday, the Primary Environmental Committee (EC) and Primary Student Representative Council (SRC) jointly hosted a Walk for Clean Air (and House Points) event during lunch play on Monday.
Students from Upper Primary and Early Childhood students walked laps of the track to earn points for their house with each lap earning 1 point. EC and SRC leaders explained to students walking why we need clean air. Participants were encouraged to think about all the ways they can make a positive difference to help clean our air as they completed their laps. Special commendation goes to Reception classes who collectively walked the most laps! Way to go!
House scores for the Walk
Eucalypt: 116
Jacaranda: 103
Wattle: 89
Waratah: 74
Walking today, breathing better tomorrow.
