Get ready to participate in walk, bike and roll to school day on Wednesday, Oct. 12. It’s a healthy, safe, and fun way to start the school year. If enough people participate, the event also potentially reduces traffic and emissions in town for the day.
Wellesley’s elementary schools — Bates, Fiske, Hardy, Schofield, Sprague, and Upham — are regular participants in the yearly effort, as are the middle and high schools. The weather is good, so this is the prime time to try out new mobility options in town. More than 30% of our emissions come from transportation in and around. Like what you say? How about FREE rides around Wellesley and useful neighboring spots on the Catch Connect van service for folks 12 and over. Try taking the train to Natick or Boston; the T to the Red Sox game; walk, scoot, or bike to work, to friend's houses and to do errands this month.
While you are trying new transportation options, try combining your Amazon deliveries (maybe your neighbors too) to 1 x a week to reduce truck deliveries in town. These are all part of Town of Wellesley's Sustainable Mobility Plan which also includes more sidewalk connectivity, new bike racks and bike repair stations, more road crossing lights, bike lanes, and electric vehicle charging stations. Bring your family, neighbors and friends to march with us in the Wellesley Parade tomorrow from 1-3pm.
Enjoy the shout outs and cheers from friendly spectators along the route. You can feel the environmental enthusiasm in town. We will be encouraging actions that will help us meet the Town wide goal of being Net Zero by 2050. Help us get the word out on Sunday Oct. 3rd. We will be lining up at 12.45pm on the corner of Elm and Washington Streets (Pole #5). Should be fun. Strollers welcome. RSVP here https://forms.gle/EKPG1v9HqEAqcbQN6 Create Healthy Habits While Helping Wellesley Reduce Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The new school year is a chance to begin new routines. Recent climate studies show that 30% of Wellesley's traffic is school-related transportation. Instead of driving, start some new school traditions this fall. - Get together with friends and walk to school - Form neighborhood walking groups with other parents, caretakers, families – take turns leading the group. - Ride bikes or scooters with neighbors. -Check in with the Wellesley Public Schools to see if there is space on the bus: it is free if you live more than 2 miles from school. More information on Wellesley's upcoming “Safe Routes to School” walking and biking initiative is coming out soon. Learn more about it from the Town's Mobility Committee members (see below). Better yet, consider participating in it by serving as a parent representative for your school. Wellesley Select Board member Colette Aufranc at caufranc@wellesleyma.gov Wellesley School Committee Chair Catherine Mirick at mirickc@wellesleyps.org Know these folks?
Give them a big shout out!! Congratulations to Wellesley High Schools' Climate Action Club members Vaani Kapoor, Kaitlin Braun, and Catherine Smith, who won the Community Engagement Award for their work on Solar Power and other initiatives from Project Green Schools' 2021 Green Difference Awards. Also big congrats to Lisa Moore, Wellesley Natural Resources Commission's Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator, on receiving a Project Green Schools' 2021 Green Difference Awards for Outdoor Learning and Education. Thanks to Wellesley Green Schools for taking the time to nominate these outstanding individuals. Way to go, Wellesley! Give input on Wellesley's Sustainable Mobility Plan (SMP).
As part of the SMP, the Town has launched a series of short surveys to gather more information on a range of mobility topics. Each survey takes five minutes or less to complete. Please respond to as many or few that apply to your travel and spread the word to friends and family. The most recent survey asks about school travel and is designed for either students or parents. Your input is important as we seek ways to make low impact travel modes (walking, biking, buses) safer and more attractive. In addition to the school survey, we encourage you to take any previous surveys that apply to how you travel, get deliveries, and plan for future travel. The first five of 10 surveys are available at this link under the “Wellesley Wheelhouse” Tab. So far the topics focus on: Survey 1- Work from Home trends Survey 2 - Biking and E-bicycles Survey 3 - Use of Ridehailing Services (e.g. Uber and Lyft) Survey 4 - Use of E-commerce Survey 5 - School Travel In the future watch for surveys on autonomous vehicles, bikability, use of food delivery services, microtransit, and electric vehicles. If you have questions, please email smp@wellesleyma.gov. Thank you for your help with this community project! |
Categories
All
|