Travel Friendly

The Nelson Tasman Climate Forum in partnership with Enviroschools has been awarded Nelson City Council funding for a low-carbon commute initiative focussed on reducing transport emissions in the Whakatū Nelson region by encouraging students to use active or public transport for their commute to and from school.

The project, named Travel Friendly, aims to get more students walking, biking, or taking public transport to school, with the long-term goal of making these low-carbon, healthy travel habits a normal part of life and daily routines for students and their families.

It is anticipated this shift in transport mode will deliver a range of environmental and health benefits both at the individual and population level. These include improved air quality, traffic congestion, family budget and hauora | wellbeing.

Collaboration with our students, teachers, schools, Enviroschool groups, whānau, and the wider community will determine the success of the Travel Friendly Initiative. Co-design and stakeholder engagement are central to ensuring the project’s impact and long-term sustainability with core principles including:

• Embedding culture change: Making active and public transport the expected way to travel to school
• Co-design with students: Collaborating with Enviroschool students and schools to tailor individual plans for each school
• Emphasis on friendliness: Highlighting the social and enjoyable aspects of sustainable travel.

Travel Friendly will run for one year, launching in July 2025 alongside Swap One, a similar initiative focused on workplace commutes.

More information on this website: https://swapone.nz/schools/