Children worldwide are dropping pounds, expending healthy energy and kicking off the blues simply by walking and biking to school. An idea birthed just over a decade ago now has 3 million children in 36 countries on the move. This year’s official Walk to School Week for thousands of U.S. schools is October 3-7. Walk to School Day is the 5th.

Those in the know recommend that young people accrue a total of 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily, a goal sadly missed by much of our youth. And walking is eminently doable. Staying fit this way “doesn’t depend on a family’s income or having a sports facility nearby, or how good the physical education program is at school,” notes Lauren Marchetti of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center at the University of North Carolina.

So why are kids walking to school again “like in the olden days?” Some are lobbying to make their town more walkable. Some are taking back their neighborhood. Others use the journey for quality family time. All are doing our planet a favor by cutting traffic congestion and pollution.

To join the fun, visit walktoschool.org. For a checklist to use in evaluating a safe, easy, pleasant route to school, see iwalktoschool.org and click on resources.