Did you know that the 17th to the 21st May is the UK’s official Walk To School Week 2010, encouraging parents or teachers and children to walk from their homes to school, leaving the car behind. So why make the change from sitting in the car to a walk? We’ve come up with five good reasons below!

Cut congestion around the school: With so many less cars around the school, you won’t be sitting in a queue for a parking space or behind a lot of other cars. There’s nothing worse than cars with engines running, stuck around the school polluting the air – so the less cars you see the better! Less cars will also make it much easier for others to cross the road and get to school safetly.

Get fit!: Walking is great for you, keeping you fit and feeling great. It helps you become stronger and healthier, as it’s a good form of exercise for parents and children. No matter how long the walk to your school is, you’ll be improving your health and fitness.

Learn the area: If you always take the car to school, with walking there you can learn much more about the area where you live. Which direction do you travel in? What are the road names, and any geographical features along the route that you might see? Conversations about the area can also aid in learning and encouragement of the local community.

Make friends: Walk to school week is often done in groups. Parents and kids can make new friends as they walk, talking about anything on the way! Without the worry of driving or becoming stuck in queues, conversations can run wild. If your best friends already live close by, it’s even better!

Save money: If it only takes 20 minutes to walk to school along local streets then there really is no reason why you can’t walk! The money spent on petrol for the car can be saved and used to buy rewards for the walks, or even new walking shoes! An average cost saving is calculated below…

Say the average cost of petrol is £1.20 per litre. An average family car travels 10 km for every litre of fuel. Now, depending on how far it is to school, , Assume the school is 2km (1.2 miles) away from the house, which can be reached in half an hour (the average walking speed of parents and children is 4 km a hour). This means that each journey to and from school uses around 0.4 litres of petrol, although it may be  more if stuck in a jam! Therefore, in that situation you would save 50p in petrol for each time you travel.  Of course, the cost varies between diesel and petrol cars, and  the distance to school is always different – but the savings will definitely make a difference.

If you’re a parent walking your children to school, consider taking them by foot on Walk to school week and beyond. For more information, please visit the official Walk to school! website. Always be safe: Remember roads can be dangerous and cars can appear where you least expect. Always take care when walking and take extra care when crossing any road, following the  green cross code.

On 8:30pm, Satuday 27th March, the WWF are encouraging everyone to switch their lights off for 1 hour to help recognise the increasing problem of climate change.  It is widely recognised that climate change is causing the ice caps to melt and seas to warm, threatening ecosystems and coastal areas worldwide. This is also having knock-on effects in other places as rising temperatures are causing increased droughts , threatiening the most vulnerable animals and people worldwide.

For just 1 hour , 8:30pm, Saturday 27th march, many landmarks and cities throughout the world are showing their support for Earth Hour and recognising the danger of climate change by switching the lights off during this time. Show yours too – sign up for earth hour or find out more information today.

Now we are well into 2010, we’ve made some green new years resolution ideas that we’ll be following. Try these top 5 tips yourself for a very green 2010!

Break ice from your bird baths: Birds need a source of drinking water over the cold months, and when all the water is iced over there aren’t many available places to drink. If you break the ice on your bird bath, or provide a bowl of fresh water in the cold mornings you may see birds coming down and having a drink in your garden!

Plant spring bulbs if you haven’t already: On a mild day, If the ground isn’t hard from frost, you can plant your spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, hyacinth and daffodils. You’ll see an explosion of colour in the spring which is perfect for bees and other beneficial insects. Make sure to do this soon!

Start the exercise regime!: If you’re aiming to look good for the summer, there’s no better time than now to leave the car behind and walk. This will also lower the pollution in your local area, and if you’re walking to school with your kids, encourage others to do so too. If you’re walking with very young children and are worried about their safety, consider using walking rings to ensure they stay safe!

Get outside!: It may be cold, but there’s nothing stopping you going outside, getting some fresh air and having fun without taking the car. Take the camera out and take photos of beautiful frost-covered trees or winter sun blanketing the ground. For outdoor games, try a boomerang or game of football!

Put some clothes on: Rather than turning up the heat to the maximum and letting hot air escape your house, put on extra layers or blankets. You’ll warm up and save yourself a log in heating bills.

Whatever you plan to do in 2010, make a few steps to become more aware of the environment and lead a happier, healthier life.

Teachers are increasingly becoming “sustainability champions”, says new survey from The Consortium.

Read the full story on The Consortium website >