Which Wexford school will be named the Green-Schools Travel School of the Year?

This Valentine’s Day, Green-Schools is encouraging schools to embrace the theme “Love our Health, Love our Planet.”

In February, 19 schools across County Wexford have embarked on a journey to change their travel habits for the better. The Green-Schools Programme’s Big Travel Challenge invites school communities to focus on active travel modes like walking, cycling, or scooting, aiming to get as many people as possible using these modes over 9 school days. Schools are also encouraged to raise awareness through other initiatives in areas where active travel may be less feasible. The theme this year, Love our Health, Love our Planet, is tied to the challenge coinciding with Valentine’s Day on the final day.

These 19 Wexford schools are part of 477 schools nationwide participating in the Travel theme of the Green-Schools Programme, all working toward earning a Green Flag for Travel. Since the programme began, over 2,400 schools across the country have been awarded a Travel flag.

This marks the eighth year of the challenge, which has successfully encouraged students to benefit from walking, cycling, wheeling, or scooting to school. These modes of travel promote physical and mental well-being, while also helping to reduce car emissions.

In 2024, Cappawhite National School in Tipperary was named ‘Ireland’s Travel School of the Year’ after significantly increasing the number of students and staff walking to school. Schools that win in 2025 will receive cash prizes for their Green-Schools Travel programmes, alongside various creative awards for initiatives like Car Pool Karaoke and the Staffroom Challenge.

Green-Schools invites schools of all sizes and types—urban and rural, primary, secondary, and education centres—to take on the challenge of promoting sustainable travel. Schools are asked to showcase their efforts and record their progress as part of their application for the Big Travel Challenge.

Allison Phillips, Green-Schools Travel Manager, stated: “Each year, the Big Travel Challenge encourages school communities to break old habits and adopt new ones. Our regional Travel Officers will be visiting schools across Ireland, supporting them as they strive to be named their county’s Travel School of the Year. We’re excited to see how our schools tackle the challenge.”

For more information, visit www.greenschoolsireland.org, and follow your local school’s progress on social media using the hashtag #BigTravelChallenge.

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