UK launches its first-ever Sustainable Travel Education Toolkit

On Wednesday, October 12, the National Railway Museum in York, the Community Education Network, and CrossCountry successfully launched the UK's first Sustainable Travel Education Toolkit. Attendees included representatives from these organizations as well as students from the neighborhood community school Hempland Primary.

The Community Rail Education Network and CrossCountry spent six months creating ground-breaking materials for the toolkit, with further assistance from the Community Rail Network and the Decarbon8 Network. The innovative new material supports the teaching of sustainable travel to KS2 students and is aligned with the national curriculum.

Sustainability is a topic that needs to be made more apparent in order to motivate people to switch to more sustainable modes of transportation, which is now recognized as a crucial component of the solution to the climate emergency.

The materials are designed for KS2 pupils and will provide discussion themes centered on sustainability at home and how students might persuade their extended family and friends to switch to more environmentally friendly transportation.

The launch event offered attendees a fantastic opportunity to learn how the toolkit may be used in an educational setting and to see its potential for having a meaningful impact.

Through the Community Rail Network website and features, you may obtain the Sustainable Travel Education Toolkit for nothing.

"We're thrilled to be a part of the introduction of the UK's first ever sustainable transport education toolkit, which will engage school children and families throughout the country on this critical topic," said Jools Townsend, Chief Executive of Community Rail Network.

"Transport is currently the main source of UK greenhouse emissions, thus decarbonizing our transportation is crucial for the sake of future generations and our communities can already benefit from less traffic and pollution.

"Rail, together with buses, walking, biking, and shared mobility, offers a significant portion of the solution: transferring as many trips as we can onto these modes, removing barriers to green travel, and lowering automobile use, all crucial. By including kids and teenagers in this transition, we can give them the power to take advantage of the opportunities they want and contribute to creating a future that is greener, healthier, and more inclusive.

What a great launch, the students from Hempland Primary School engaged fantastically with the sustainable travel kit, they loved Daffnee, and there were many conversations about how we can all change our behaviors to help protect the environment, according to Karen Bennett, chair of Community Rail Education Network.

"After this wonderful day, I'm looking forward to seeing the toolkit in the neighborhood, telling the Daffnee narrative, and teaching the next generation why using the rail network is more sustainable and advantageous for all parties.

It's not necessary to change everything you do, but if we all take tiny measures, we can all add up to something significant.