All over Wallonia, nearly 310 schools and 60,000 children have registered for the second edition of the "On foot, by bike” campaign. The campaign which will take place on Friday and is being organized by the non-profit organization Eco-mobile and supported by the province of Walloon Brabant. In a statement, the organization said it hopes to encourage children and parents to travel more sustainably. First launched in Flanders eight years ago by the Voetgangersbeweging association, this campaign represents some 1,000 schools in the north this year. "With more than 1,300 schools and nearly 300,000 children involved throughout Belgium, we can make a difference for easier and greener mobility," the statement added.
The children will be offered a variety of activities, including a golf bicycle, outdoor classrooms and special areas for pedestrians around the school. "The chain is the theme of the day. Therefore, we are calling on all participating schools to form the longest or most original human chain possible," the statement said. Marco Bastin, deputy in charge of Mobility in Walloon Brabant, is scheduled to speak at the local school of Dion-Valmont, a section of the Belgian town of Chaumont-Gistoux.
Last year, the campaign recruited slightly fewer than 300 schools. "We have noticed a slight increase, but we expected more," says Christian Bormans, in charge of the campaign in Wallonia. "But this is only the second edition. In Flanders, this campaign has been taking place for 8 consecutive years and is therefore more popular there."
(Source: Belga)
