In my mind one of the least “green” things about public school is the massive amount of driving involved… cars, buses, daycare vans, etc. Add to that the fact that MANY parents “idle” while waiting for their kids every day and you have massive amounts of pollution being released in school areas each day with much of it coming from parents. Last year I had no option but to drive my kids to school but this year we decided to house hunt for a place within walking or biking distance to school. We ended up being only a third of a mile from their school… perfect!
So far my son has been riding his bike to school everyday and my daughter and I walk together. We get exercise each morning and afternoon, we get to explore our neighborhood, enjoy the outdoors, we save gas, we avoid the traffic snarl of parents picking up kids, and using our feet is the eco friendlier option. When the winter comes and brings frigid temps and snow I may be singing a different tune but for now I am really enjoying these moments.
I like seeing how other people landscape their yards.. or not. ;) I like admiring my neighbor’s red, white, and blue Adirondack chairs and her beautiful mums. How could I have passed them in my car a hundred times and not seen them before??? When Halloween gets closer (my fave holiday ever!) and Christmas, I will love seeing how people decorate for the season. I like walking past perfect strangers and taking a second to say hello and chat. I like stopping at a yard sale or a toddler’s lemonade stand on the way home. Ditching the car and walking makes your community seem all that more real and valuable.
The best part though is that I get to slow the pace of life for 40-60 minutes each day and concern myself with nothing but breathing in and out and putting one foot in front of the other. I think walking my daughter to school every day is just as good for me in the long run…
