Hosted by OSOS , contributed by DI FONZA on 8 May 2019
How can the emissions of school transportation be decreased?
Could you change your journey to school so that you produce less CO2?
In this activity, pupils explore how they contribute to CO2 emissions as they travel to school. The aim of the activity is to raise pupils’ awareness of the drawbacks of traveling in general and in relation to their own traveling behavior. By the end of this activity, pupils have become aware of the fact that different forms of transport have different CO2 emissions and they will also be able to understand and explain the connection between transportation and climate change. At the end of the activity, pupils will organize and participate in a “climate conference” during which they discuss and negotiate a plan on how they could decrease the overall emissions of school transportation.
The activity raises awareness about the environmental costs of the different ways of traveling to school. Pupils are inspired to consider and discuss traveling options by making comparisons between different CO2 emissions of classmates. This activity can be easily expanded to involve parents and local authorities.
The description of the activity
The activity starts by asking pupils to read a story about a real life situation where pupils are introduced to the problem statement concerning environmentally-friendly travelling.
After reading the text, pupils are told to solve the following question:
Pupils will try to answer the research question by doing four activities. During the activities pupils will collect data in a table (can be downloaded from the website), interpret their data and draw conclusions based on the research. Pupils can use Google Maps to measure the travelled distances.
Activity 1: In the first activity, pupils will write down how they travel to school, and work out the distance from their homes to school (15 minutes).
Activity 2: In the second activity, pupils will interview at least 10 classmates and ask them about how they travel to school and write down the information in the same table (30 minutes).
Activity 3: In the third activity (20 minutes), pupils are asked to investigate how big their CO2 emissions are when they travel to school. The emissions can be calculated by using the following website (https://www.co2nnect.org/?nmlpreflang=fi)
Activity 4: In the fourth activity (25 minutes), pupils are asked to calculate CO2 emissions of their classmates.
By interpreting the results from the calculations, pupils are asked to draw conclusions and discuss the following questions:
- Which vehicle emits the most CO2?
- Is there any relationship between the type of transport and the distance travelled between home and school? If yes, what is it?
- Is there any relationship between the level of CO2 emissions emitted by the transport and the distance travelled between home and school? If yes, what is it?
At the end of the activity pupils will organize and participate in a climate conference during which the results and conclusions of the research are discussed:
- The purpose of the conference is to negotiate how the emissions of school transportation could be decreased
- The “class delegates” will start the conference by deciding on their own opinions regarding the topic. These opinions are then presented in a meeting of the delegate representatives who are trying to find a shared opinion on the topic. If delegates disagree, the topic is brought back to the class delegates for discussion. If a shared opinion can be found, the solution will be voted in the conference of all the pupils in the school.
- The delegates can also decide about “prizes” that are given if the goals are achieved
- A representative of the Town Hall or the City Council can be invited to take part in the discussions and the negotiations. The representative is also asked to share information on how they negotiate and make decisions in the Town Hall/City Council.
- A local environment organization may also be asked to take part in the negotiations in the role of an expert partner
If the decisions of the climate conference include political aspects, pupils can write a proposal for the Town Hall/City Council etc.
Resources needed
- Computers and internet access
RRI principles
One of the key aspects of OSOS is the inclusion of RRI — Responsible Research and Innovation — principles (more information at RRI-Tools.eu). This is how this Accelerator fits into the RRI model:
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Governance |
At the end of this accelerator students will organize and participate in a climate conference to share their results and to promote awareness on the CO2 emissions caused by travelling. A local environment organization may be asked to take part in the conference to share their expertise in the field. The results of the negotiations of the climate conference may then be used to write a proposal for the City Council to reduce the CO2 emissions in the city by promoting environmentally friendly ways of travelling. |
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Public Engagement |
This activity aims to engage students in becoming aware of the consequences of travelling. The results of the investigations are shared in a climate conference organized by the students themselves. The activity will also include collaboration with an environment organization and possibly also the City Council. |
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Gender equality |
Pupils will be working in gender-balanced teams. The activity aims to provide a possibility to collaborate with experts of both genders. |
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Science Education |
Broadening the understanding of both science and mathematics and their relation are included in the learning methods of the activity. |
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Ethics |
This activity aims to help students become aware of their possibilities of reducing the carbon footprint of their community. The aim is also to highlight the importance of taking action to fight climate change. |
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Open Access |
The materials used in the activity have an open access. The conlusion of the activity are shared openly to the audience. |
The activity is based on Carbon Detective in Transport activity produced by the Mind the Gap online project. The activity is adapted for the OSOS by the coordinator of Finland (Uni. of Turku): http://www.migaproject.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=161%3Acarbon-detective-in-transport&catid=35%3Atransportation&Itemid=89&lang=en