Green-Schools premiere Ireland’s first Travel Conference for schools
On November 18th 2020, Green-Schools Travel launched the first-ever Travel Conference for both primary and secondary schools nationwide. The conference was proudly supported by the Department of Transport and the The National Transport Authority
The much-anticipated conference, which had been due to take place earlier in March, was delivered virtually on a televised-style platform to a wide network of Green-Schools schools. 320 participants and groups joined the online event, with whole schools, class groups and individuals tuning in remotely, allowing significantly more people to participate without the need to make a physical journey. We even had some of our partnered Erasmus schools from Spain, Lithuania, and Denmark tuning-in!
Students were invited to come together during the event to discuss what Ireland could be like in 2040. Through a series of talks, activities and presentations, students were enlightened to explore how the human connections and the co-operations will help us to overcome the challenges we face, and make for a brighter, more sustainable and move liveable Ireland. The theme of ‘Ireland’s 2040 Vision’, focused on four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and how they can be used as guidelines for achieving better sustainable Travel for Ireland in 2040.
If you missed out on either virtual event, you can watch the conference in full on the video links below.
Primary Conference

Secondary Conference
The secondary event was designed with two featured break-out sessions, which featured presentations focused on two SDGs.
- Break Out One was introduced with a video, ‘Meet the Normals’ from the National Disability Authority, which highlighted the need for planners and developers to design smart urban spaces where all members of society can move through easily.
- Four speakers discussed themes such as accessibility in public spaces, gender in cycling and empowering minority groups with access to cycling resources under the focus of SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities and SDG 11 and Sustainable cities and Communities.
- Break Out Two was introduced with the official launch of the ‘My Promise’, spoken word piece by Sasha Terfous and commissioned by Green-Schools. The featured video highlighted, through the medium of spoken word, the realities of our changing climate, but left students motivated that they can both demand and influence a brighter, more sustainable future.
- Three speakers discussed themes such as clean air quality, Clean Air Week and Spoken Word, and cycling as a climate action under the focus of SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being and SDG 13 – Climate Action.