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Commuting to school, the Earth Day way
Schools across Austin area celebrate environment as students cycle or walk instead of riding in parent's carBy Asher Price
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, April 22, 2009The bike racks outside Doss Elementary School are usually pretty much empty. But this morning they were packed with pint-sized two-wheelers, some equipped with training wheels, some with ribbons hanging from the handle bars, left there by streams of students determined to celebrate Earth Day with an eco-friendly morning commute.
Children bicycled, scooted, skated and walked to the Northwest Austin school as part of a series of festivities to celebrate the environment this week.
Eleven-year-old Jackson Warren, cycled to school with friends and family today.
"It feels better than driving because it doesn't waste fuel," said Warren, who was dressed in green like many of his schoolmates.
"It's good for your brain," explained his friend, 10-year-old Joe Wallace.
Debra Harris had driven to the school and was keeping an eye out for her five-year-old daughter, who had cycled more than two miles with a peloton of other kids and parents.
"She was determined to do it even though we thought it was too far," she said.
The week, organized by the school parent-teacher association, started with "Black Out Monday," in which teachers were to turn their classroom lights off for one hour; and "Trash-Free Tuesday," in which students were asked to bring their lunch in reusable bags and to use reusable utensils and cloth napkins.
Similar Earth Day-related scenes were scheduled to play out at other schools in the Austin area. The Ridgeview Middle School in Round Rock this afternoon is accepting old computers, which will then be refurbished and donated to children. The nonprofit group Keep Austin Beautiful will teach fourth graders at Kiker Elementary School about litter clean-up.
On Thursday, sixth graders at O. Henry Middle School will build a campus garden, and on Friday, seniors at Akins High School will leave for a weekend-long beach clean-up in Galveston.
Last Monday, Eanes Elementary School held a recycling contest in which students had to make sculpture out of Styrofoam.
At Doss, the event required some foresight among parents and students who normally drive to work.
Jennifer Hopper, who has two children at Doss, said her kids pushed their bicycles to the top of a hill next to their house on Tuesday night to give them an easier ride today.
She said she was looking forward to the downhill ride on the way home.
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Unfortunately, it is impossible for kids to safely get from my neighborhood to either the high school or middle school via bicycle. The only way out of the neighborhood is out on 620; not a road for inexperienced cyclists, and they'd have to negotiate a dangerous intersection at 620 and Anderson Mill. It's only about 3 miles to the schools.
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Might be a good time to lobby for improved crossing signals.
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