School run to Net Zero

Imagine every primary school in Scotland leading their communities towards net zero, with children guiding adults on how to achieve it. The "School Run to Net Zero" is an innovative program designed to engage teachers, students, communities, and local transport officers in a collaborative effort to transition to sustainable school transport.

The Transition Engineering Lab  at Heriot-Watt University is renowned for its groundbreaking work in transition innovations. In collaboration with the Islands Centre for Net Zero (ICNZ) in Scotland,  the team are working on methodological transition processes and various energy ecosystems. One key focus is transforming urban transport infrastructures and behaviours to achieve climate-safe fossil-fuel reduction while enhancing human well-being.

The School Run to Net Zero programme emerged from a collaboration with a primary school in Orkney Islands, addressing the challenging problem of school drop-offs, which contribute to congestion, air pollution, and reduced social capital. The programme, co-designed with a senior teacher, resulted in a successful prototype that garnered positive community feedback and media coverage. It was honoured with the Grimond Lecture at the 2022 Orkney International Science Festival, a Rural Transport Award by the Scottish Rural & Islands Transport Community, and was a finalist for the SCDI Innovation Award.

The programme aims to reduce individual car drop-off/pickup trips to less than 20% and includes a partnership with a local farm for nature regeneration. The Net Zero School Run Curriculum Pack, tailored for primary school teachers and students in years 3-6, covers science, carbon fundamentals, history, nature regeneration, and transitioneering. The curriculum features four modules on Transitioneering and two on Nature Regeneration, encompassing activities on emissions, global warming science, transport behaviour, geography, data collection, and planning.

The programme's innovative approach allows students to understand challenges, design their own solutions, and achieve net zero school transport, fostering a hands-on, place-based learning experience.

Join us in this exciting journey to net zero, where students lead the way in creating sustainable and thriving communities.