OSCAR: Gamifying sustainable school mobility in Brașov 

OSCAR – Șarpele Hoinar (“Oscar the Wandering Snake”) is an interactive school mobility campaign that encourages primary school children to adopt sustainable and active travel modes, walking, cycling, public transport, or car-pooling, when travelling to school. In Brașov, the campaign is coordinated by the Agency of Brașov for the Management of Energy and Environment (ABMEE), which leads its local implementation in close cooperation with schools. 

Like many European cities, Brașov experiences congestion and air pollution around schools during peak hours, driven by short car trips, safety concerns, and established family routines. OSCAR addresses these challenges by promoting sustainable mobility habits from an early age and by making such behaviours visible, attractive, and easy to adopt within the school community. 

In autumn 2025, the 10th edition of OSCAR took place over two weeks (22 September–3 October) in Brașov, involving four schools and kindergartens, 31 classes, and 634 pupils. Through a playful and inclusive approach, the campaign transformed everyday school travel into a collective challenge with tangible local impact. 

Turning everyday travel into a fun challenge 

The Brașov edition relied on a gamified format, where pupils earned points for each sustainable trip to school. Teachers and pupils tracked daily travel modes, while educational discussions addressed mobility, health, road safety, and environmental topics. Visual tools, such as banners and stickers, made progress visible to the entire school community and helped engage parents through their children’s enthusiasm. 

The campaign operated with a light governance model, coordinated by ABMEE in close cooperation with participating schools. Material costs were calculated per pupil and covered at a symbolic level by the schools, ensuring affordability, local ownership, and easy replicability. This simple, low-cost gamification model translates abstract climate objectives into concrete, everyday actions. By targeting children, the campaign indirectly influences family behaviour, creating a visible and lasting impact on the school environment. 

Measurable change and lasting inspiration 

OSCAR achieved notable outcomes in Brașov: pupils travelled over 2 300 km using sustainable modes, saving approximately 330 kg of CO₂ during the two-week period. Sustainable trips to school increased from 68% before the campaign to 76% during, and reached 79% after the campaign, demonstrating behavioural change that extended beyond the campaign itself. 

Beyond emissions reductions, the initiative contributed to calmer school surroundings, improved road safety, and increased physical activity among children. It also raised awareness of climate-friendly mobility among families and teachers, reinforcing the role of schools as entry points for wider behavioural change. 

Building on these positive results, ABMEE plans to expand OSCAR to additional schools in Brașov and its metropolitan area, reinforcing its role as a recurring, long-term tool for sustainable school mobility. 

From local action to national scale 

OSCAR was originally launched as part of the European Traffic Snake Game Network (2014–2017), funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme. Following the end of the project, the campaign was continued at national level by Energy Cities Romania (OER), enabling its rollout in multiple Romanian cities. 

Nationally, OSCAR has been implemented in 15 educational institutions across five Romanian cities, demonstrating its adaptability and replicability across different local contexts. Thanks to its flexible, low-cost design, the campaign can be easily integrated into Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) and local climate strategies, linking local action with national and European mobility objectives. 

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!