Write an article on the benefits of exercise and walking to school
Answers
Answer:
What are the benefits of walking to school?
The school run accounts for a large proportion of rush-hour traffic. Here are some of the key benefits of taking to your feet instead:
Health
Soaring rates of childhood obesity and illnesses such as type 2 diabetes associated with this can be prevented through a healthy dose of walking. In fact, walking helps protect the body from many serious illnesses later on in life. On average around half of all children do not do the minimum one hour a day of physical activity recommended by the Health Education Authority. A brisk walk to school can help them get their daily exercise and arrive at school or home, refreshed and energised.
Social
Walking can have a positive effect on a child’s emotional wellbeing. It can encourage independence, road sense and also be an opportunity to chat with friends.
Environmental
The average drive to school and back releases 800g of CO2 into the air – enough to inflate over 60 balloons.
Economical
Encouraging your child to walk to school will save you money on transport fares or petrol money.
Walking to school dos and don'ts
It is up to you as a parent to decide when your child is old enough to walk to school alone or with friends. Always make sure your child is familiar with the route and keeps in contact with you should they be late home.
Model good road safety yourself at all times – children learn by example so it’s vital to show them they must cross at crossings.
Check your child’s footwear is comfortable and appropriate for walking. You could bring trainers for the walk and they could change their shoes once at school.
Make sure your child’s school bag isn’t too heavy as this can cause back problems and poor posture.
If you live far from the school you could try combining alternative transport with walking, or drive part of the way.
Make walking fun and enjoyable for your child. Chat about the local surroundings, and encourage your child to talk about their school day.
Answer:
Walking plays an important role in improving our quality of life because it helps protect and improve the living environment and natural resources. Improving the environment in turn brings added health benefits that come, for example, from cleaner air, less traffic noise and fewer road accidents. Walking is highly efficient in its use of urban space and energy, it rarely causes injury and it gives streets vitality and personal security.
Motor vehicles create a substantial amount of air pollution and are responsible for nearly 80 percent of carbon monoxide and 55 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions in the U.S. Although individual cars are much cleaner today than they were in earlier years, if total traffic continues to grow, overall air quality will deteriorate. Communities designed to be walkable have the potential to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases because people may choose to walk or bike rather than drive. Many car trips are quite short, one quarter of which are less than one mile in length, indicating that walking could be a feasible alternative and contribute to reducing the pollution from a cold-start vehicle travelling only a short distance.
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimated that when communities participating in the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Project became more walkable and bikeable, the proportion of walking trips increased by 16% over 5 years and the proportion of biking trips increased by 44%. For more information on the environmental benefits of walking and biking visit the U.S. Department of Transportation Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource page.
What’s the business with walking?
Features of a walkable community—safer and pedestrian-friendly streets, mixed land use, and access to transit—are associated with economic benefits to the community. As it turns out, there are quite a few ways that more pedestrian friendly communities boost our economy. For example:
Save Money on Transportation Costs.When we have safe places to bike and walk, we are more likely to ditch the car for short trips. Did you know that ownership of one motor vehicle accounts for 19.5 percent of a typical household's income?
Healthier People, Fewer Bills. Walking is a convenient way to get our recommended daily exercise. A more active community can help cut healthcare costs.
Savings on Parking.Most people don’t realize that the majority of parked cars are not worth as much as the spot they are parked in! With more compact, mixed-use development, retail can better flourish and our neighborhoods become more vibrant.
Time Savings. When parents know their children have safe places to bike and walk, they are less likely to drive them for short trips. Time = money!
Improved Safety. Places with fewer motorists tend to have less accidents. This saves on costs for drivers, responders, and lost productivity.
More Travel = Less Productivity. Statistics show that as vehicle miles traveled increase, productivity declines. With more people biking and walking in more compact livable communities, our overall productivity can increase as we spend less time in traffic.
Building pedestrian and bicycle facilities don’t just add new transportation or recreation options to a community, they bring economic value. Learn more about the economic impact of pedestrian facilities with this webinar from the Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center: The Bottom Line: How bicycle and pedestrian projects offer economic benefits to communities.