Gaming for Mother Earth

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/games-quizzes/tom-green-quiz-game.html

Jim McKinney

The Planet Green Game is easy to play and a fun quiz game (though I was far from a high scorer), with lots of links for more connections, and some very interesting side/slide shows. One set of slides featured pitiful pictures of dead birds whose decayed remains exposed the incredible contents of their stomachs filled with amazing quantities of small plastic objects they had ingested. Other slide shows include amazing nature photography, pictures of electric cars for the future, the world’s cutest endangered species, and even sexy, sustainable lingerie!

I am amazed at how much information is now available on global climate change. I am also amazed at how the public debate has gone from complete denial to generally accepted truth. Now of course, the debate centers on whether human activity is responsible, and if so, to what degree and whether it is possible to do anything about it. Surprisingly, as recently as Friday, September 24, 2010, conservative guests on the HBO Bill Maher show were still hotly debating the issue!

These games, however, seem to indicate that there is a mass movement to take things far beyond this politicized debate. Now, not only is it commonplace for people in the new media to be convinced that human activity is involved, but they are also busy exploring possibilities for doing something. So much so in fact, that people see the issue as an opportunity to face the challenge with a “Game On!” attitude.

Ben & Jerry
Even though I couldn’t get the car started in the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream sponsored Lick Global Warming Eco Mission driving competition, there was a very interesting memory game, the Lick Global Warming Memory Card Game, to learn about simple actions people can take to fight global warming. Interesting facts included, for example, were that on average cars emit one pound of CO2 per mile driven; that replacing an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb saves 100 lbs of CO2 per year; that switching to cold water for one load of laundry per week saves 250 lbs of CO2 per year; that recycling just ½ of your aluminum cans, bottles, plastic, cardboard and newspapers would save2400 lbs of CO2 per year, etc. http://www.lickglobalwarming.org/game.cfm


KURE WASTE CHASE
For children, one of the best sites has to be www.noaa.gov the website for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where there are many games available through links to other websites. I found this Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures game to be a lot of fun, driving a beach buggy and piloting a zodiac to search for and collect marine debris from above and below the water on Kure Atoll in the South Pacific. It is great fun while also learning about marine debris, where it comes from and how it affects wildlife.

http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/funandgames/jmc_kure.html



ENERGYVILLE, a SimCity-like game sponsored by the Chevron Corporation, has players compete to provide for the energy needs of a city while trying to mitigate environmental, economic, and security impacts. It is a somewhat serious game, which takes into consideration several possible sources of energy, and provides many links to other sources as well as interesting practical background information about different sources of energy including the following:
http://willyoujoinus.com/energyville/?gclid=CLOkhY_jqqQCFRh7gwodLg834Q

Biomass:
* a renewable source of energy
* clearance of grassland to grow biofuel crops releases 93 times the amount of greenhouse gas that would be saved by the fuel made annually on that land;
* by 2015, there will be a 12-14% increase in ethanol use
Coal:
* ½ ton per household per year needed;
* by 2015, there will be a 13% increase in coal use
Hydro power:
* a renewable source of energy
* by 2030, renewable sources of energy will account for 21% of electricity generation worldwide
Natural gas:
* high efficiency with relatively low carbon content
* the US has reserves projected to last 100 years at current rates of use
Nuclear power:
* 436 plants in 30 countries provide 15% of electrical power worldwide
* no carbon emissions
Petroleum:
* primary energy source for transportation
* by 2015, there will be a 6.6% increase in oil/liquid fuels use
Solar power:
* total energy from the sun is 454 times annual global energy consumption
* US demand has grown 25% per year for the last 15 years
Wind power:
* now represents 1.5% of global power sources
* the World Wind Energy Institute predicts that wind could provide 12% of total energy by 2020

This was how I did with my city, which I called CINE19VILLE (and I was trying to be so careful!):

Smart Games

New Media can definitely change the world whether you realize or not. My take on 'smart games' is that they can be overwhelming for the average person and it is intimidating compared to the aggressive environmentalists. I found a website that is sponsored by Chevron with a game called "Energyville". (http://willyoujoinus.com/energyville/?gclid=CPXHpr_2qqQCFSM3gwodYnUu4A) . You name your city and choose how to power it with the provided icons such as nuclear gas, hydropower, biomass, etc. It tracks your economic impact, environmental impact, and security impact of your city. You have fully power the city while keeping the total impacts low. My first thought at attempting this game was that my city would be a bust, but with all of the information provided I actually did pretty well. This was one of the only cites that I could honestly say made the most sense. I tried the game even though it wasn't by choice, but I gained a lot of useful knowledge out of it. My only concern is who really takes the time to play these games? Environmental buffs who are playing against each other for the highest score? Is it reaching out to anyone who doesn't know the first thing about energy conservation? Sadly I have to admit, I'd probably be too intimidated to play this game if it weren't an assignment. Hopefully I'm the only pessimist who feels this way! Either way, the proof is in the pudding- I played, I learned, and now I'm telling others about it.

I think that new media can change the world, but I'm not getting my hopes up about smart games as the environment's savior.

I'm all for environmental games and anything else that raises awareness about environmental issues AND that ultimately benefits the environment, but I think "smart" environmental games will not do so because it takes CO2 to play them and I think that the only people who will play them are those are already doing what they can to help the environment.

I played http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/carbon-chaos/id351198570?mt=8 and was left feeling guilty about the CO2 that was generated in the production of the game and while I played it. There was no point to the game and it was boring "dragging" a bike, car, and bus to a destination (and I consider myself an environmentalist!).

I think a better way to help the environment for people who want to "play" online are carbon calculators like UC Berkeley's: http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/ There is a point to the game (you can calculate your carbon output) and you can learn how to reduce it. I may be an enviro-dork, but I think it's fun (as well as my duty) to have a contest with myself, with fellow Californians, and Americans to see how much I can reduce my carbon impact.

While I liked the calculator and did not like the "smart" game, I think it's good to get the message out in a variety of ways to try to reach the most people. My life was changed because of a 1990 documentary (Race to Save the Planet). Something else may light the spark for someone else. While I must confess to enjoying pointless games (like Tetris and Chicktionary) , for environmental purposes, I think old fashioned games are best (like relay races where players run to discard compostable, recyclable, or reusable items in bins placed further from the start according to how many resources are used).

Web and Environment

I think the internet can play a vital role in changing the way people view our world. Today you can find so much inforamtion online that's free including peer reviewed articles and books. You can use the internet to educate yourself and children. I found 2 sites with games and the one that I found the most interesting for children is http://wwf.panda.org/how_you_can_help/games/. The website is part of WWF (World of Wildlife Fund) and is informative for children. On the other hand I found this other website that is funded by the National Science Foundation

http://www.globalwarminginteractive.com/index.htm. I found it to be very boring and although they are still working on the site they should make it more child friendly. I think the best sites will include sections for both adults and children although it is more important to educate children since they may be able to make a greater change then us. A site dealing with the environment that I love is http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/. National Geographic is a great way to educate yourself and others about many different issues including the environment and global warming, at least as a starting point. The web is one of the most important ways to educate/inform people on what is important to you. Most people I know don't really watch TV anymore because they can watch their favorite shows, films, and news online. But sites should include sections for different age groups, links to other sites that may be informative, even how to do research at your local library. It should also allow people to comment on the articles, videos, etc because its the only way to keep the conversation going without it there won't be any change.

New media is definitely changing the world. Look at the shift from print media to digital media. More people are starting to get their news online instead of from magazines and newspapers.
When the shift started to get noticed, newspapers and magazines were afraid because it meant less physical paper to charge money for, less sales, less revenue. Forget that this means less environmental resources to produce their product, that there is less waste in landfills, and less garbage in the streets. The fact is that without having to produce a printed product, the news industry could have saved tons of cash, but because they were slow to adopt new media, they missed out on a chance to charge much more for their content, which is now almost always free.

Because of the instant acess and affordability new media provides, starting a conversation, joining a conversation, or even trolling a conversation has become easier. It also provides a sense of community and can help to foster action. Sites like this one are indoctri...converti...getting children to view the environment as an invaluable resource. It give kids a fun hands on way to interact with their surroundings.

The activities listed here

are geared more towards those who enjoy playing with a screen instead of reality. After successfu

lly answering 15 questions about ecosystems, I got to fling the teacher. It may seem trivial, but for a kid, this information has a big impact. I remember I got points on an AP Environmental Science class for writing, "Butterflies are pretty" as a response to a question about why some species are more successful than others. The thinking behind this is that as humans, we value beauty, and in order to sustain one beautiful thing (butterfly), we have to sustain what creates it (the butterflies natural habitat). The answer may seem short and silly, but being able to make that connection is what matters, and these sites are teaching kids to do that.

Environmentalism Reduced to Product Marketing

These online games that are supposed to raise environmental awareness are really just marketing schemes. They are used to get people to consume or to try to convince naysayers that environmentalism can be fun. What a joke. And, honestly, what a waste. They are a waste of time, money, space, and intellect. Well, they aren't fun. And most of the time the games lead to dead links or don't work.

From what I can tell, there are three different kinds of games. The one's backed by corporations to try to improve their "green" reputation, the one's that are trying to sell products, and, saddest of all perhaps, the ones put out by environmentally-active organizations that are trying to show us a good time.

Starbucks launched a game in 2007 called Planet Green. Don't bother going to its webpage because it's dead. Apparently, the game didn't help to improve the coffee giant's image, so they let it die, just like all the trees that are used for their cups and cup sleeves. How about finding ways to safely reuse the millions of tons of plastic that are polluting our earth instead of overpaying some designer to come up with a new "Reduce Reuse and Recycle" campaign to throw up in your store window?

I'm curious how a company has the nerve to call itself The Environment Team when they are pushing consumerism. The games on this site are infuriatingly simple and, in the end, pointless. Echo, the Eco-Friendly Dolphin is a great example of a stupid game. Don't waste your time, unless you want to spend ten minutes playing a boring game that leads to a slew of product advertisements. At the end of the game I was really hoping to see some valuable links to the issues that the game was promoting. Instead of a link to sites about whaling or, even more appropriate, to the documentary The Cove, which deals directly with dolphin slaughtering, I found an oversimplified explanation of why dolphins are in danger and seven different ads leading to "green" products like this Coffee Sleeve that Doubles as a Wallet. Are you messing with me, Environment Team? I'll tell you how to stop the waste of coffee sleeves: STOP MAKING THEM–IN ANY FORM.

There are true environmentalists who may think that video games are the way into people's lives, but video games are so incredibly advanced these days that these simple amateurish games are more of a nuisance than an attraction. It's admirable that Ben and Jerry's wanted to make environmentalism fun, but their Lick Global Warming game is not only boring, but the game is a dead-end. When you've finally figured out how to use the up-and-down arrows to guide your car to its destination, you come to a very unsatisfactory "Campaign Unavailable" message. Someone was paid to make this game. I shudder to think that grant money is possibly being spent on developing these useless games. And If I'm going to a site run by people who supposedly know how to take action to save this planet, I would like to see them be able to take action to maintain their website, which is my only connection to their cause.

When sites are left for dead, they become internet waste. Clearly not as damaging as landfill or cosmic debris, but definitely a sign that something was worth giving up on. The feeling I get from these games is that they are junk. And isn't junk in our environment what we are trying to reduce?

Environmental "Smart" Games

As a whole, "smart" games are a good idea. Since most kids spend most of their free time in front of a t.v, computer, or gaming console, in theory, developing games with the intent to educate kids and young adults about environment concerns and issues is a novel idea. The problem is that not all games are fun and interesting. As I played a few of the games (like Ben and Jerry's game), I found myself somewhat bored, annoyed, and disinterested. Thus, I found the game not really pertinent to raising global awareness. That said, my disinterest in the game could also be because I am much older than the intended age for those who are supposed to play that game.

I did however find a much better game at http://willyoujoinus.com/energyville/?gclid=CPywvZCkpqQCFQH_iAodp0nt4w. This game is developed by Chevron's eco team and is a spin on Sim City. For me this was a much more interesting game to play and I think this type of game would have a bigger impact on environmental awareness. However, I also think that even if thousands of people played these games, it still would be just a drop in the bucket. I think blogs, vlogs, smart games, etc. are all great tools to help environmental awareness, but I don't think they are that effective. For example, just because a lot of people play a game that doesn't mean it'll translate in them reducing their carbon footprint. I mean, getting somebody to read a blog on environmental issues is probably a bigger task than getting somebody to ride MUNI one day a week.

Not to come off as a bummer, but I feel that people in America are too addicted to their way of life and it doesn't matter if there are video games, movies, and a whole internet full of environmental awareness content. As we saw with the outcome of Gore's "Inconvenient Truth", people will find any excuse to disclaim or refute its tenets--even if the evidence is overwhelming and conclusive. The only way people will change is if they are forced to by legislation, or, if global warming indisputably affects their lives. I agree that this is a very pessimistic view on American culture, but from my experience the idea of not having the biggest, baddest car, having to change a light bulb, or having to turn off their appliances during certain hours of the day appears to be a bigger threat to the American dream than Al-Qaeda.

It's hard to imagine how much different America would be if Al Gore would(should have) have been president instead of that other guy. I really enjoyed this weeks movie The Inconvenient Truth. I found it very educational and does get people thinking. It is crazy to think that what the world will look like in the future with the pace we are on of screwing up this planet.

One of this weeks questions is can the new media help change the world when it comes to how we are destroying the world. I think we are all getting on the same page about how much damage we are doing to the blue marble and some of the ways we can change it to and reverse some of the effects. I think being here in California we are a bit ahead of the curve about changing our habits. I know on my many visits to the mid-west that our thinking here on the "right" coast we seem as a whole to take reducing our carbon footprint a bit more serious. But, I wonder about the people in the 3rd world countries how much they care. It's easier people in America with some many options to change our way, even know we are still the worlds biggest polluters. But, people with limited education and resources.... how much do they care about the future when they are more focused on the day to day for survival.

So, I do think the new media does help educate us all, anytime people are talking about the environment it's a good thing... but, how many of us really change our ways. Most people seem to just go for the quick and easy lifestyle. We need to put our knowledge into action. I think one of those things that we can do is to teach other people and open their eyes to making this place we live in a cleaner place for the future residents. One of the people we need to teach is our young and I found this website http://www.epa.gov/kids/game.htm for kids. The website is full of online games for kids to play games that teach them about the environment. What an awesome way to teach the young about such an important subject.

Smart Games Changing the World?

Smart games , video games that address real world issues. Do these games games change the world? I would have to say that I feel that it wouldn’t change the world as we know it. It may serve as a start to an awareness of issues addressed in the games. For some and I say some because people aren’t really concerned with what they are doing when playing these games really. I mean it in a sense to say that when I play video games about invading Iraq as a soldier of the U.S. military I don't learn about the issues its just a game with an object to play. It does not make me want to do research on Iraq. Ultimately I only saw my self in a sense trying to beat  the game. I was concerned with getting from point A to B. To passing a level.

For example I played Ben and Jerry's Eco Mission where the object was to get to the concert in a selection of vehicles ranging from an Eco friendly to a gas guzzling behemoth. There are many obstacles that get in your way from running out of gas getting tired which lower your Eco meter. After using the Eco van and the hybrid (just to be more Eco friendly virtually) I found myself still losing. I never made it to the concert. Yet I think the Eco friendly cars are the only ones that can get you towards your destination before missing the concert. Ultimately I just felt like I was playing another game with an objective to win. Not so much thinking of the issues that were addressed. There was a take action button that popped up every ti I lost and when I clicked on the link it to told me to “Take Action” then went on to another link that sent you to a website saveourenviornment.org. From there you could do your research on global warming and the issues at hand. If you went to take all those steps after playing the game. Assuming you didn’t just exit the browser cause the game was lame.

 I think media outlets such as film and television which are visually appealing and more susceptible to picked up and viewed are a far more better outlet to spreading messages. I mean you are more likely to here or read a message if it were put on to you through commercials rather than someone walking around with a pamphlet for you to read. With messages in that for you are more likely to courteously take it or ignore it and discard it. I am glad that Former Vice President Al Gore made a movie about global warming because if it weren’t for outlets like that some would not get the message.  Putting in a DVD, going to the movies or turning on the television to most I would have to say is more appealing than picking up a book. Sad but in my case true.

Global warming is true and must be addressed. Hopefully there will be more films to come to awaken global community to any kind of threat to us globally. For smart games I would have to say though to me a little impact it doesn’t hurt.

Global Warming

So the documentary for this week was a tad boring. The Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore was at times stale. It felt like you were sitting in a lecture hall with all the graphs that were presented got a bit jumbled at times and didn't really have that wow effect. What was good about it was when he presented the images comparing the glaciers for example in different areas of the world where you could actually see the change that had occurred. It was also good at the end to see what we could do as individuals to make changes in ourselves which he made seem easy to do. Now as far as global warming being true the ICT convinced me fully that there are big issues there, and we need to make changes now. I had no doubt in my mind. While looking on the web however I noticed a lot more skeptics than websites that tried to promote change or spread the word of how the world is being affected. They bash Al Gore and believe he is trying to scam people and get money and recognition. I can say I don't really believe these stories. I found on the National Geographic website some good straight forward facts that are science proven. This channel on TV has great credibility, which makes me trust the facts presented. The web link is http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/
As far as web games go I feel that it's great exposure and a learning tool for young kids so they can learn about this when they are young. This will have a positive effect so at a young age they are able to make changes and live more energy conscious. There are a few interesting ones that I saw where you can build your own city towards a sustainable energy future. But are these games just showing kids fun and distracting them on the real hardcore issues? I think in a way they are, yes, they are learning about the environment but in the end its just playing games staring at a computer screen. But it's possible they are taking things away from these games. They are at least learning a little and opening their minds to it.
I'm worried however about all these negative videos I saw on you tube. There was defiantly more negative than positive on GW. What if kids are watching these videos and being affected by them and just brushing the issues away that they are learning because of these skeptics. And it's not just the children it's adults too with people like Glenn Beck talking against global warming, and brushing it off will there ever be change?
People need to stay on course with this because in the end if it is really all a hoax the change we implement will not have a negative effect it can only make the environment a better place to be. So changing is for the better and being more healthy as a whole. Stop debating and just make the change, the personal changes are easy to do. Here is a website that explains how to do so.
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm

An Inconvenient Truth | Al Bore

I don't love this film.

 I think it's important and I'm glad that it got a lot of attention because I think global warming is a serious threat to our planet. My father is an environmentalist with a PhD in marine biology from UCSB. He currently lives in the Hamptons and is the Natural Resources Director for East Hampton. A little eccentric, he's currently in the process of building a swamp (wetlands) on some land that was bequeathed to the county in Montauk.

I also grew up in San Francisco so environmental issues have always been a big focus in my life since nursery school. We watched a lot of documentaries when I was in grade school about science and history. I remember watching films about overpopulation and garbage that in many ways made me feel the planet wasn't going to last as long as it has.

I think this film focuses too much on Gore himself. His loss in the controversial election, his own educational experiences, the death of his son. There are a lot of pictures of him sitting in planes and in limos and looking into his laptop. I don't understand why he spends so much time talking about pictures of the planet, unless he's trying to prove that it's round. I think its hard to relate to the graphs which he spends so much time on. A graph is a graph, it's hard to emotionally connect.

And most of it is him acting like a science teacher with A/V tools available to us 20 years ago.  I think that technology provides the opportunity to use video, animation, and other techniques that are more gripping.  I think he could make his cases on how the environment is changing more directly.  "Show don't tell."

Personally, I think that resistance to the idea of global warming comes from Christian fundementalists and right wing conservatives. Because it is "An Inconvenient Truth" -- it's not what we want to hear. We want to use our cars and have our disposable consumerist society and not worry about what's going to happen afterward. It's especially inconvenient for the owners of the industries which profit from oil drilling and other dangerous practices.

I feel like Gore has a stronger understanding and relationship with this audience than I do so maybe the way he conveys information makes sense to them. I hope so. I do believe that new media can help to change the world, but it needs to work with education, traditional media, and even religion since that's where people get a lot of the information that they trust.

I also don't like scary predictions (like that the south of New York City) will be under water without some way to offset this.  It seems so horrible and makes me feel so powerless that it makes it desirable to live on the river denial.

I like online games, and if I was a kid I would really like learning through them.

A few that I found are:

1. These put out by the EPA for kids along with a study guide (which I found a quick way to monitor my knowledge and remind me that I should know some things that are pretty basic and I don't)
2. This game from Ben & Jerry's looked kind of fun, but I couldn't get it to work.
3. This game looks interesting CO2FX, I like the details and the expressed opportunity to make decisions for different countries which would make them sustainable or not, but again, I can't figure out how to play.
4. And at the risk of sounding like a total idiot, I found this game on Facebook, but I can't even figure this one out.  Maybe kids are more intuitive about this type of thing than I am. 

environmental"smart games:"

first he Al Gore states that this documentary is not politically motivated, i personally do not believe it myself.he had a funny comment about his teacher and a student on how the student asked the professor if the earth moves?the teacher then begun to laugh, then he stated that the student of whom asked that question became a drug user looser type of individual and the professor went on to  be successful in his profession. i think that he was trying way too hard o convince his viewers. i personally do not think new media can change the world totally but it can effect certain groups or individuals who may view you- tube, twitter, face- book etc, the company who viewed it might want to donate to global warming and great causes to save our planet. just look at all of the natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, so horrible to see so many people displaced with lost loved ones. it can be meaningfull in a conversation depending on who specifically is listening, i think these type of political documentaries have hidden agendas to try and gain peoples trust and to gain revenue, why did he mention his book so many times?it was good to see i learned alot, i feel they used Al Gores face to influence conservative America to listen.i really did not enjoy his jokes and dry scense of humor.
2. i learned about ethanol and global warming and its drastic effects on our planets eco-systems, i need to learn more about this topic so i researched these websites.http://www.globalwarming.com
http://www.globalclimatehotmap.org..http://www.globalwarming.org...very informal with tons of info.thanx Daniel frias jr.

Environmentalism Needs Rebranding?!

Today we are more globally connected in communication and know more about our planet and its interconnected ecological systems than ever before-- but because of the sociopolitical systems in power and the dominant cultural consciousness we seem bound, and unable to make the needed strides to significantly alter our current path.

Our ways of connecting with nature have changed. The shifts in our relationship to the earth as westerners can be examined through history. Two major periods of change were the “conquering” of the new world, where Europeans with guns killed and subjugated peoples and claimed their land, and the industrial revolution which increased the destruction of nature and paved the way for the consumer economy.

I did not find looking at environmental smart games as fun. I think they may be helpful for elementary school teachers, but so many seem sponsored by the corporations that do so much damage that I’m skeptical of their benefit other than branding tools. Yes they might help young children learn about difficult issues like energy and pollution and contribute to their class discussions. But it would be more beneficial for teachers to take students outside and help them cultivate a connection with nature. Get them away from electronics.

Why is environmentalism boring or a downer? Is it because no one likes house cleaning? Clearly, environmentalism may need rebranding! But at the heart of this is how people connect with the earth. We spend so much time online; what about going outside?! What about mindfulness in how we live?

The U.S. looks so pathetic politically in our inability to legislate positive environmental change. Our politicians couldn’t even agree to the Kyoto Treaty or facilitate change at the recent global climate conference. Our leaders’ hands seem bound by either the system or their private interests.

I own An Inconvenient Truth. I think Al Gore does a good job at putting the concept and scope of global warming in an easy to understand perspective and provides abundant examples. He did start a meaningful dialogue. It still astounds me how the right wing media and political hand like Fox and company have successfully swayed so many to not believe global warming is real. Just last week watching Jesus Camp we got a look I into a part of the population that will not accept global warming. While the folks featured in Jesus Camp seemed to be looking forward to their afterlife because life on earth is hard and messed up in many ways— non "Jesus Camp" people who want life on earth sustained seem slow in making big changes regardless of the severity of the problem. Human behavior seems to be the hardest thing to change!

Planet Kids

I believe it is a little far stretched to say that new media can change the world, but I do believe it can cause awareness among people which can hopefully lead to small changes towards being environmentally conscious. The impact of An Inconvenient Truth is said to have helped governments and organizations to take on more action towards global warming, yet I doubt individuals will remember to follow.

I am advocate of teaching the kids about the environment early on. I believe this is the only positive way that can help our environment. If we are educated and aware of the problems and find solutions, it is not difficult to take action. Environmental “smart games” are a good way to start of the education for kids. A website called Global Warming Kids is a site where it offers kids to play environmental games to teach them about the problems and how to take care along with having fun. There are also videos, DVDs, and books that kids can read and watch that will further their education.

I do believe we can all take part in caring for our earth by the little things we can do every day. We can choose to purchase energy efficient appliances rather than the fancy pricy ones. We can turn off appliances, choose fluorescent light bulbs, and use less hot water. We can all learn and inspire from Gandhi’s famous words, “be the change you want to see in the world.”