One of our challenges as online interactive content and game designers is finding ways to inject fun into serious topics. Can reading news about Global Warming be made into something fun and entertaining? Something you’d want to do every day?

Test out our “Zoomy Global Warming Newsreader” and let us know what you think.

Our flash newsreader lets viewers ‘swim’ through 100 green news stories each day. The idea is to click on a headline as it zooms by. Then a small screen opens up which links to the original article. As you’ll quickly discover, it’s a bit of a game to read them. Some of them fly away just when you thought you had them. (Mouse Tip: Blue brings the headline closer. When it’s highlighted to Red, you can click on it and read the related story.) We think it injects some fun into a serious topic. But the proof will be in the pudding — I sent it off to a teacher and she’s going to test it with her class

Send us your feedback.

Speaking of fun ways to catch kids imaginations —

In a previous blog post I wrote about Google’s Student Speakout project which invited teachers and students to use Google Docs & Spreadsheets collaborative software to brainstorm strategies for combating global warming. Children from more than 80 schools around the world participated, and on November 27th Google took out a full-page ad in USA Today to put their ideas in the spotlight. Here are the students top 50 ideas:

• Include global warming/climate change in school curricula (as part of National Science Standards), so when the students are in charge they can make educated decisions.
• Increase availability of low-interest Energy Efficient Mortgages to support homeowners who increase the energy efficiency of their homes.
• Put light sensors in all office and school buildings so all lights go off when the rooms are empty.
• Require that all products contributing to global warming be marked with a specific color (e.g., chemical pesticides could be marked with a red sticker for being extremely dangerous to the environment).
• Use less paper; use the back of the paper to print on or write on; use recyled paper.
• Plant more trees to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Teach recycling techniques in classes and school-wide programs.
• Make recycling mandatory in all public facilities, such as schools, parks and beaches.
• Do public service announcements on TV featuring celebrities promoting carpooling, walking, riding bikes, using public transportation, conserving electricity and recycling.
• Give grants and tax credits to companies that invest in alternative, sustainable, emission-free fuel technologies while ending such subsidies for fosssil fuel production.
• The media should conduct interviews of legislators to help the public become aware of their ability and willingness to help solve the problem.
• Replace incandescence light bulbs with fluorescence light bulbs.
• Restrict the use of chemical fertilizer in agriculture.
• Provide incentives and policies to encourage car makers to make more fuel efficient cars.
• Protect wetlands and preserve more open space.
• Provide tax incentives for regular recyclers and car poolers.
• Use solar panels in the construction of new homes and office buildings.
• Substitute local community transportation fleets with hybrid vehicles.
• Require that car dealers hand out fact sheets that inform car buyers about the pollution levels of different cars.
• Send scientists to talk about global warming in schools. They can bring hands-on activities so students feel more involved.
• Unplug all electronics from the wall when they’re not in use.
• Have another Global Warming Student Speakout in one year – to see if any of these ideas have been implemented.
• Raise mandatory emissions standards for cars and other vehicles sold in the US.
• Use solar power in the day and use electricity at night when needed.
• Give tax rebates for using solar power.
• Congress should ratify the Kyoto Agreement.
• Establish off-shore wind farms – saves land space and produces reliable power.
• Levy higher taxes on companies that pollute the air.
• Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before using the washing machine.
• Provide tax incentives for companies that create Hybrid cars. That will reduce the need for oil.
• Schools and businesses should be fined for not having recycling bins available to the people on their premises.
• The media should tell us about what is really going on with global warming. We don’t think that we have all the information we need.
• At the end of the weather forecast, report “CO2 emissions levels today…” or comparative average temperatures (i.e., this year’s temperature as it compares to the past several years).
• Lead by example and convert 50% of government vehicles to environmentally friendly cars by the year 2020.
• Place recycling bins throughout the city wherever there is a trash can.
• Require companies to limit the amount of packaging an item can have and it must be recyclable.
• Block bills that cause more damage to the environment.
• Media could reduce advertising costs for alternative energy products to inform and increase sales in these areas.
• Keep your tires fully inflated to improve gas mileage.
• Replace old appliances with Energy Star appliances.
• Promote awareness of local recycling centers.
• Require college and high school students to take a global warming class.
• Give tax reductions to public transportation users.
• Protect our oceans – prevent plankton in the ocean from dying.
• People running for elections should use email, radio and other media to campaign and stop using so many paper signs and flyers that use up our natural resources and then get left out and become pollution.
• Reuse newspapers as wrapping paper for gifts.
• Enforce laws about littering.
• Use less electricity, turn off the TV, read books, walk, run, bike, surf, play tennis.
• Business should require employees to telecommute several days a week.
• Provide scientists appropriate resources to help them research the future of energy and the freedom to explore innovative ideas.

Read the full article and background info here.

Franke James note:

What does a school, committed to teaching ‘environmental leadership’, do when faced with upgrading outdoor sports facilities? Where is the balance between delivering top-notch facilities and protecting the environment?

Upper Canada College struggled with the question of installing a field turf for sports. Should they use grass (which requires regular watering, and cutting and is not usable in the winter)? Or should they use a man-made material (which requires less maintenance, no watering, and affords year-round use)?

The story behind Upper Canada College’s decision to install artificial turf, and how they did it in a ‘carbon neutral’ way, is below. As an added benefit UCC took the opportunity to also install a geothermal system under the playing field which heats and cools their adjacent sports rink. Once again we see that actions speak louder than words. UCC article below is by Lindita Bushi, Stephanie Foster and Jamie Meil.

Towards a Carbon Neutral Field Turf at Upper Canada College

Upper Canada College (UCC) in Toronto recently decided to replace one of its natural grass playing fields (“The Oval” field) with a new, state-of-the-art, artificial turf surface. This synthetic surface will be easier on the players’ joints and is designed to reduce sports-related injuries. In addition, because the artificial surface won’t freeze or get muddy when the weather changes, the sports season for both Upper School and Prep School students can be extended. As an organization committed to sustainability, UCC considered the environmental, social and economic implications of installing artificial turf. Specifically from the environmental perspective, this meant looking at issues related to global climate change (greenhouse gas emissions/GHGs), local air quality (heat island effect), and resource consumption (reduced water use for irrigation).

What is an artificial turf system?

After years of experimentation, different manufacturers have developed systems, known as “artificial” or “synthetic” turf, that are capable of mimicking the properties of real turf. The most common type uses “polyethylene” grass (which is lubricated with silicone) and has a base of expanded “polypropylene” (see Figure 1). The base is then “infilled” with a layer of rubber granules, which keeps the fibres upright and provides the right level of shock absorbency.

Accepting the challenge of sustainability, UCC has demonstrated leadership by deciding to install a “carbon neutral” artificial turf field on campus. The College will plant the appropriate number of trees required to offset the GHGs emitted by the production, transport and installation of the artificial turf surface. UCC commissioned the Athena Institute (www.athenaSMI.ca) to estimate the GHGs that will be emitted during the expected 10-year average life cycle of the synthetic turf system as opposed to those that would be emitted by a natural grass surface. The GHG offset requirements are translated from units that are typically used to report GHG reductions (e.g., metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) to the number of trees to be planted to achieve a 10-year carbon neutral synthetic turf installation.

Figure 1 Artificial Turf System [Lawton, G 2005 modified]

Study Results

The study conducted by the Athena Institute determined that greenhouse gas emissions produced by UCC will increase by a total of 73 tonnes as a result of the synthetic turf installation. In order to neutralize this effect, the College will plant 1,861 trees, balancing the field’s carbon footprint over its expected 10-year life.

How did we arrive at this number?

We took a life cycle approach to determine the boundaries and elements attributable to the synthetic turf and compared them with those of a natural turf system (see Figure 2). This procedure allows for the identification of all life cycle phases of the systems, such as production of the main components, use and maintenance, recycling and transportation.

The comparison between the natural grass and synthetic turf systems was made on the basis of the same reference unit: a 9,000-m2 field over a 10-year period. The Institute analyzed the following Synthetic Turf Project (P) and Natural Grass Baseline (B) elements:

GHG emissions are measured in metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Total GHG emissions of the natural grass and synthetic turf systems are estimated respectively to be (-16.9) and (55.6) tonnes CO2e. In other words, the natural grass system will actually sequester more carbon than it will emit over 10 years while the synthetic turf will be a net emitter of carbon over its expected 10-year life. Therefore the required GHG emissions offset is estimated to be (-72.6) tonnes CO2e.

As per U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 1998, a medium growth coniferous tree, planted in an urban setting and allowed to grow for 10 years, sequesters 10.5 kgs of carbon, equivalent to 0.039 metric tonnes CO2 (http://www.usctcgateway.net/tool/). For each year, the sequestration rate (in kg per tree) is multiplied by a survival factor to yield a probability-weighted sequestration rate. These values are summed for the 10-year period, beginning from the time of planting, to derive the estimated 10.5 kgs of carbon per tree.

Based on this per tree carbon sequestration rate, the number of trees to be planted by UCC to meet the offset requirements to achieve a 10-year carbon neutral synthetic turf installation was estimated to be 1,861 trees.

Summary

>In June 2006, Upper Canada College (UCC) in Toronto took the initiative to offset the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the life cycle of the artificial turf field installed on its campus. The Athena Institute provided UCC with an estimate of the GHGs emitted during the life cycle of the synthetic turf system as opposed to those that would be emitted by a natural grass surface. A life cycle approach (from raw material acquisition through manufacturing, transportation, use and maintenance, and end-of-life disposal) was followed to determine the boundaries and elements attributable to each of the synthetic and baseline natural turf systems.

Comparison between baseline and project systems was made on the basis of the same reference unit: a 9,000-m2 field over a 10-year period. Total GHG emissions for the natural grass field and the synthetic turf were estimated to be (-16.9) and (55.6) tonnes CO2e, respectively. The total amount of GHG emissions to be offset was estimated at (-72.6) tonnes CO2e. The planting offset requirements to achieve a carbon neutral synthetic turf installation over a 10-year period (its expected life) was estimated to be 1,861 trees.

About the authors: Jamie Meil and Lindita Bushi are Senior Research Associates at the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute (www.athenasmi.ca); Stephanie Foster is the Executive Director, Centre for Environment and Sustainability, Upper Canada College (www.ucc.on.ca)

Is it coincidental that Garth Turner, Member of Parliament for Halton, Ontario was kicked out of the Conservative Party, the day before the Conservative’s announced their “made-in-Canada” environmental agenda?

The Conservatives say it was for leaking information on closed door meetings but no proof was given. Having now seen their just-released ‘Clean Air Act’ it’s no wonder that Turner’s words raised their ire. (Hint: the Conservative’s deadline for climate action is 2050.) Turner’s former career as a best-selling author and reporter taught him to speak his mind and not mince words. And it’s his way with words that has put the Conservatives on the hot seat. Turner wrote on his blog:

“A green plan with gonads is now at the very top of the public’s wish list — and rightly so… My position (when the Harper Administration releases its plan) will be that climate change is the greatest all-round threat this country faces, and that my nation’s government should not let us down with half-measures, a curtsy to junk science or a sell-out to the tar sands.”

Nice to see a politician calling a spade a spade. Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party wasted no time in asking Turner to join her party. Maybe Turner could help shift Canada’s environmental agenda… Just by joining he’d be altering Canada’s political landscape — as the first Green Party Member of Parliament in the House of Commons.

You have to wonder who Harper is listening to — other than the Alberta Tar Sand forces? Surely it’s not the Canadian people? The Globe and Mail published survey results today that found that 84% of those surveyed would back levying heavy fines against industries that do not reduce their carbon emissions. It also found that 55% support a new energy tax.

Oh yes, and that Conservative “made-in-Canada” Clean Air plan? Released today it promises that greenhouse gas emissions would be cut in half by 2050. I guess Harper wants us to hold our breath for the next 44 years…

As Turner so eloquently put it, Canada needs a ‘green plan with gonads’.