Every Wednesday, students at Alameda Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, skip bus and car rides to school. Instead, they hit the streets on a 2.4 kilometer (1.5 mile) group bike ride to class known as the “bike bus.”

Physical education teacher Sam Balto created the bike bus program in April 2022 in honor of Earth Day. He wanted to help kids get active while also teaching them ways to reduce air pollution. Most vehicles release greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere. This causes climate change. Shorter bus routes and fewer cars driving kids to school means less greenhouse gases are released.

The bike bus quickly became very popular with students. On average, 150 students at Alameda Elementary participate in the bike ride each week. “Climate action can be really fun, and we’re having a great time doing it,” says Balto.