The Green-Schools Travel team is inviting your school to take part in the BIG TRAVEL Challenge this February by promoting a sustainable mode of transport of your choice for 10 days during the month. This is the third year of the BIG TRAVEL Challenge; last year Coláiste Íosagáin, Portarlington won the overall prize and were named Ireland’s Travel School of the Year following their efforts to encourage students to walk to school.

What are we looking for?

Schools big and small, rural and urban, primary, secondary and education centres that will take on the challenge of achieving a measurable increase in one of the following sustainable modes of travel: walking, cycling, scooting, carpooling, park ‘n’ stride or the bus.

We are asking schools to promote their chosen greener mode of travel for any 10 day period for the month of February 2017 (Wednesday February 1 and Tuesday February 28) and to record their results.

Is your school up for the BIG TRAVEL Challenge?

A poster and entry form has been posted to all schools eligible to take part*. A BIG TRAVEL Tracker is provided below for helping to track your results. You can use your tracker to record the total number of students in your school travelling by your chosen mode on each day of the challenge.  At the end of the challenge, fill in the entry form and tell us how you promoted your chosen mode and why your school deserves to win the BIG TRAVEL Challenge. You will need to let us know the number of students travelling by your chosen mode on an average day before the challenge started and on Day 1, Day 5 and Day 10 of the challenge.  Awards may be made in each travel category (walking, cycling, scooting, carpooling, park ‘n’ stride and bus).

How will your school be judged?

Your schools will be judged based on the increase of students using the mode of travel you promote during the challenge and your innovation and creativity in promoting that mode in your school.

What are the prizes?

The overall winning school will receive a cash prize of €1000 to be used for their Green-Schools Travel programme, with four runners up each receiving prizes of €500.

Any other questions?

The deadline for entry is March 10, 2017. Please contact your Travel Officer or the Green-Schools team at 01 400 2222 if you have any questions. Let us know how your school is getting on during the challenge by tweeting us @GreenSchoolsIre #bigtravelchallenge!

Download

*The competition is open to all schools that have participated, or are participating, in the Green-Schools Travel theme.