A Wednesday for Walking

On Wednesday morning, Burlingame students will take to the streets in honor of International Walk to School Day 2010.

One Walk to School Day, Burlingame kids are encouraged to walk, bike or skateboard to class, instead of riding in cars or buses.

The walk was established in Chicago in 1997 mirroring a similar event in London, said Wale Adeniji, San Mateo County public health educator.

"Walk to School Day has been celebrated within the district [previously]," Adeniji said. "This is just the first year that there's a coordinated effort to make sure we really publicize it."

The San Mateo County Health Department and the San Mateo Board of Supervisors are spearheading the effort in conjunction with the individual school districts.

Adeniji said 14 county school districts in San Mateo County are participating, including Burlingame.

Burlingame students join children from 40 countries in celebrating International Walk to School Day.

"Since its inception, 3 million walkers…are now participating," Adeniji said. Five thousand schools in the U.S. alone plan to join in.

The Walk to School event will highlight the benefits of walking to both students' health and the environment. It also encourages creating safer pedestrian routes to school and throughout town. Even if students are unable to walk the entire way, they are encouraged to get dropped off a couple blocks earlier than normal.

"Children today are not receiving adequate opportunities to engage in physical activity," Adeniji said. "The goal is just to really generate momentum around walking to school."