Classroom Emissions Tracking Program

The Classroom Emissions Tracking Program is a framework to help teachers accomplish some or all of the following:

• Make the connections between student travel emissions and their health, safety and environmental impacts.
• Explore the reasons for and impacts of students' travel behaviour
• Use the MyTravel emissions calculator to gather information about how students travel to and from school and help them make an action plan to reduce their transportation emissions.
• Explore alternatives to driving to school.
• Have students carry out, measure and evaluate their action plan. Then, have them make recommendations to share with other classes.
• Help students showcase their results, exchange ideas and find out what others are doing.
• Expand beyond the classroom to create a challenge for the whole school and/or the community, and measure the results.
• Access some funding to help students take action or celebrate their successes

Step by Step Action Plan:

1. Sign Up: In order to collect and record classroom data using the MyTravel Database you need to register with HASTE and set up a username and password (if you have already registered, go here to sign up for the Database).
2. Connect with a delivery partner: We recommend that MyTravel be used in conjunction with the extensive educational resources and programs our delivery partners have to offer. Check out the Showcase map to see who's working in your area, or whether they have resources or ideas you might be able employ.
3. Explore the issue: Whether you decide to work with a delivery partner, use an existing model or program, or design your own innitiative, you'll need to bring the issues raised by transportation habits and emissions into your classroom. We're not going to tell you how to bring transportation emissions into your class - you're the educator, after all - but HASTE and our delivery partners can provide the resources and information you need to drive the issue home.
4. Calculate your emissions and set your goals: Use the MyTravel calculator to help your students calculate the impacts of their current transportation habits, and make a plan to get active and reduce their emissions. Make sure they are storing their data in your classroom file. Access the MyTravel Database to approve your students' submissions and submit them - you can then save and print the results of your calculations.
5. Make a plan and take action: Design a contest, hold an event, run a bicycle skills and safety workshop - the possibilities are endless! You can apply for participation funding through HASTE to help get things rolling; if you're feeling ambitious, you can do a little fundraising of your own. Make sure you discuss safety as part of the action plan.
6. Analyse and report: Run your class through the MyTravel calculator again (and again!), generate a report and see how you did. Send us feedback and photos – we would love to hear from you. How can we improve this program? How did you spend your participation funding?