| The Manitoba Student Transportation Network What is the MSTN? The Manitoba Student Transportation Network is a secondary school vehicle trip-reduction program designed to encourage high school students to become leaders in the green commuting initiative at their schools. MSTN is a campaign to get students, teachers, and administrators to "take the off ramp" and use alternative means of commuting to and from school. The MSTN program will provide interested students with the resources and support needed to implement and sustain a campaign at their school. The MSTN project began in partnership with the off ramp program of B.E.S.T (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation) in British Columbia. B.E.S.T began their pilot project in 1999, and has seen tremendous success since then. Check out their program on the Web: www.best.bc.ca/programsAndServices/index.html Why is the MSTN Program important? One of the goals of the MSTN program is to reduce the number of SOV (single occupancy vehicles) that commute to and from Manitoba high schools. MSTN seeks to achieve this goal by increasing awareness of climate change and transportation issues, and supporting high school student leaders in their attempts to foster awareness and participation at their schools and in their communities. • The last two decades have been the warmest recorded in history. Temperatures on the Earth are regulated by greenhouse gases that trap the heat from the sun, preventing it from escaping into space. The levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere have been increasing far beyond natural rates. Our climate is changing as a result of this, and evidence exists to prove that it is mostly a result of human activity. Sea levels are rising, glaciers are retreating, heat waves and severe weather events such as hurricanes are occurring in many parts of the world. For those of us who live in the Prairies, we have recently seen some of the negative effects of climate change such as droughts and forest fires. • Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas production in Canada. The actions of individuals produce more than a quarter of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, with each person emitting, on average, about 5.5 tonnes per year. At least half of these emissions are a result of our transportation choices. • According to research conducted by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, in Manitoba, 55% of youth aged 12-19 are not active enough for optimal growth and development. Girls tend to be less active than boys, with 64% of girls and 52% of boys being considered physically inactive. Active commuting such as walking, cycling, boarding or blading can be an easy way to make a positive change in your lifestyle. • Aside from polluting the air we breathe, too many cars driving to schools create huge traffic and parking nightmares. This affects the community around the school as well, making it difficult for people to get around at peak traffic times of the day. • Many high school students cannot afford to buy their own car, or do not have family or friends to drive them to and from school. It is important to be aware of the benefits of alternative forms of transportation and make everyone feel comfortable using them. click here for more info How does the MSTN program work? The MSTN program is easy to initiate at your school, does not require a great deal of time commitment, and will be a fun way to build your skills as a leader and champion of the environment! The first step to take if you are interested in starting an MSTN program at your school is to approach the environmental group, leadership group, or any other group of students who might like to get involved and take on the project. This group of students, who can be as many as 20 or as few as 3, should approach a teacher who might be interested in supporting and assisting the group. Resource Conservation Manitoba is here to help you at every step of the way. Once your interested group is established, the MSTN program coordinator can visit with your group and provide training workshops to give you the skills you need to take on an MSTN project. A resource kit can also be made available for your group. Pilot Schools MSTN workshop - February 20, 2004 - full details So far these Manitoba high schools have piloted the project:
Champions for One-Tonne Challenge Program Clean Air Champions and Resource Conservation Manitoba in partnership with the Government of Canada, are introducing an exciting, national program called Champions for One-Tonne Challenge (C-OTC). The purpose of this program is to educate and engage youth in climate change issues. Its goal is to encourage youth to take the One-Tonne Challenge by using active transportation and other healthy strategies to reduce personal greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). The One-Tonne Challenge is a Government of Canada program launched in March 2004 and its primary goal is to motivate Canadians to reduce their individual contribution to GHGs by one tonne, or 20%. The Government of Canada is supporting organizations such as Clean Air Champions to develop programs that in one way or another encourage Canadians to reduce the impacts that lead to climate change. Program Implementation C-OTC will be coordinated by Clean Air Champions staff and co-delivered with local organizations. These organizations include the Canadian Sport Centres (CSCs) across Canada and environmental, non-profit Community Partners, many of whom are already involved in the One-Tonne Challenge program. Clean Air Champions' athletes will be trained to speak to high school students about the One-Tonne Challenge in their communities. Champions may undertake a range of activities including motivational talks and facilitating "get active games" and/or sport clinics. The Champions message will focus on how individual choices have a direct impact on health and climate change. They do so by integrating their personal and sport career stories of challenges and victories, the importance of goal setting, and making the right choices. These Champions are passionate about clean air and slowing climate change, so their messages are heartfelt and leave a lasting impression on their audiences. The goal is to inspire our young Canadians to take the One-Tonne Challenge and make lifestyle choices that are better for their health and our environment. High schools who host a Champion visit will be provided a colour poster to promote the C-OTC program. They will also be able to print a smaller 8.5 x 11 banner poster that will include their Champion's photo and biography for display in the school prior to the visit. Our staff and community partners will work closely with high school staff to ensure that the Champion's visit is well organized and tailored to school themes or programs that compliment the objectives of the C-OTC program. Contest for High Schools We are also launching a "Champions for One-Tonne Challenge" contest to help inspire and motivate youth to join the Challenge. High Schools participating in the Champions for One-Tonne Challenge program (i.e. you receive an athlete visit) will be eligible to enter the contest. Students will be asked to register for the One-Tonne Challenge on behalf of their school through the Clean Air Champions website. The high schools with the three highest percentages of entries (i.e. adjusting for differences in high school size and enrolment level) will receive a special awards day in the Spring 2005 and a second athlete visit. For more information on Clean Air Champions visit: www.cleanairchampions.ca (Click on 'One-Tonne Challenge' on lower left of home page) To contact Clean Air Champions, please send your questions or comments to info@cleanairchampions.ca or contact Satya Ramen, Project Manager at 416-534-6415 or sramen@sympatico.ca MSTN resources Contact the MSTN at Resource Conservation Manitoba: Jacob Carson MSTN Project Co-ordinator Tel: (204) 925-3774 Fax: (204) 942-4207 email: jacob@resourceconservation.mb.ca Resource Conservation Manitoba 303 Portage Avenue, 3rd Floor Winnipeg, MB R3B 2B4 Student Transportation Survey (download Word document) Check out these links for more information on Climate Change and Active Living The BEST (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation) program in British Columbia started their off ramp Program in 1999, check out its success: www.best.bc.ca/programsAndServices/index.html Canada's information website on climate change is pretty extensive: www.climatechangesolutions.com For Manitoba-related information:
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