Initiatives
The One City Marathon is Virginia Green Certified for the 5th Year
The Newport News One City Marathon celebrated its five-year anniversary in March 2019. Since its inception, the One City Marathon has been a certified Virginia Green Event through the Virginia Green Travel Alliance. Virginia Green events are thoughtfully planned to minimize environmental impacts, and to help increase environmental awareness. Throughout the past five years, the City of Newport News has made significant commitments to eco-friendly practices. All the highlighted initiatives are executed with the help of hardworking volunteers who donated their time to educate the community on how to live a greener tomorrow, today. By continuously striving to do better each year, the City of Newport News devotedly keeps the same vision and mission in mind to protect Virginia’s environment. The city partners with businesses that also support sustainable tourism like the Holiday Inn Newport News-Hampton, the 2019 sponsor hotel and a Virginia Green certified facility.
Newport News Public Schools Change to Propane Buses
Newport News Public Schools are a forerunner in the state of Virginia in regards to environmental sustainability with their fleet of propane buses. By the end of 2019, NNPS had replaced almost a quarter of their aging diesel buses with propane buses, which totaled 73 out of 335. Some highlights of propane buses that set them apart are that they have greater cost savings for the city, reduced engine noise, improved driver and student morale and safety. Other environmental benefits of these buses are that they have lower fuel costs, quieter and more reliable engines, and emissions virtually free of carcinogenic particulates and nitrogen oxides that may lead to respiratory issues. The propane school buses are also used to transport runners more sustainably for the One City Marathon.
NNPS Celebrates National Bike to School Day
Newport News Public Schools joined schools from around the country to celebrate National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 8. Established in 2012, National Bike to School Day provides an opportunity for schools across the country to celebrate bicycling to school each May. The various events were organized by the Newport News Healthy and Safe Routes to School as well as the NNPS Physical Education Department with kids, parents, and community leaders walking and biking to Newport News elementary schools. Bike to School events work to create safer routes for bicycling and walking, and emphasize the importance of a range of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, cyclist and pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools, and the broader community. Event partners include the FIA Foundation, Pedestrian Bicycle Information Center, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the National Center for Safe Routes to School.