Niina marni

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today, the Kaurna people, we recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past, present and future.

Welcome everyone, it is wonderful to have so many families joining us to gather together to ride to school today. Thank you for leaving your cars at home and choosing the fun and enjoyment that comes from active transport this morning.

Not only is active travel good for your health, it’s also good for the environment too!

Riding, walking, scooting or skating to school means there are fewer cars on the road, which results in:

• less pollution,
• less energy use, and
• less carbon emissions

For every kilometre you actively travel instead of driving, you save 243.8 grams of carbon emissions.

But what does that actually mean?

Carbon emissions are mostly the release of carbon dioxide, or CO2, into the atmosphere. These emissions contribute to global warming and climate change.
On National Ride2School Day 2023, students across Australia saved 29 tonnes of CO2, by actively travelling to school – the equivalent of planting 202 trees.

That’s only one day.

Imagine if we did that every day of the school year. Over a year we’d save more than 5,700 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of planting 40,000 trees!

So, let’s celebrate today through the joy of riding with thousands of other school families around Australia, knowing we are making healthy choices and a difference to the climate by reducing noise pollution, energy use and carbon emissions.

Let’s also look for more ways that we can use active transport more often, so we have greater impact beyond just today and more time to enjoy with family and friends. Riding is so much fun!

Riding needs to be done safely, so please remember to cross the roads with your parents and to use the school crossing or cross at the corners of the road where staff can help us.

Thank you very much to Andrea, Kym, Jade, Imelda and their families for all the work they have done to plan, prepare and set up everything for today. You have done a great job, and we are all here thanks to your efforts to make this happen. Let’s put our hands together to thank them.

Xavier - Year 5