Stop playing and go green
There is no doubt that there is increasing emphasis on sustainable living, Climate Culture has created a virtual world to help consumers reduce their energy consumption. Climate Culture has a patent-pending on a carbon footprint calculator which helps users make lifestyle choices and informed daily actions.
The site has a personal advisor tool which uses local datasets to reflect types of energy generated, temperatures, incoming solar radiation, energy prices and other factors to power its personalised calculations. For every reduction players make they earn points that give them a higher social status in the community along with access to more features for customization.
Users can also earn points by helping friends green their lifestyles and by challenging others in real- life carbon-reduction contests. If those weren’t enough reasons for playing, Climate Cultures corporate sponsors donate money to offset 10 pounds of CO2 each time a user plays or wins. Climate culture currently only supports users in U.S but this is definitely a space to watch or get in early on.
Visit www.climateculture.com to play. If you want to see other innovations around gaming and what we're researching, click here.
(Pictures of the National Conversation on Climate Action taken from www.climateculture.com)
The site has a personal advisor tool which uses local datasets to reflect types of energy generated, temperatures, incoming solar radiation, energy prices and other factors to power its personalised calculations. For every reduction players make they earn points that give them a higher social status in the community along with access to more features for customization.
Users can also earn points by helping friends green their lifestyles and by challenging others in real- life carbon-reduction contests. If those weren’t enough reasons for playing, Climate Cultures corporate sponsors donate money to offset 10 pounds of CO2 each time a user plays or wins. Climate culture currently only supports users in U.S but this is definitely a space to watch or get in early on.
Visit www.climateculture.com to play. If you want to see other innovations around gaming and what we're researching, click here.
(Pictures of the National Conversation on Climate Action taken from www.climateculture.com)
Noel,
I was interested to read your recent iNews Blog post “Stop playing and go green” How do you provide information to enable your residents make decisions on their wellbeing?
At ESRI UK we believe that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software is an important enabler, helping citizens and public sector organisations to better manage their operations, and so improve their sustainability performance, and help tackle the issues of carbon reduction and climate change adaptation. The geographic approach uses GIS as a framework for understanding the world and applying geographic knowledge to solve problems and guide human behaviour. When working toward making green decisions for your organisation, GIS provides the information you need, such as land use and spatial planning, and tools for improved operations such as vehicle routing. Some examples which illustrates this approach include:
Solar Boston is an interactive mapping application that showcases active renewable energy installations in Boston USA. The application also provides a rooftop view of the city, allowing citizens to calculate the solar potential of their roof taking roof size; shading from surrounding structures; and orientation into account. Thereby enabling citizens to take informed decisions about the potential saving and economic viability of investing in alternative energy.
Warmer Worcestershire project is aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions across the county and helping deliver two of Worcestershire’s Local Area Agreement targets, through helping residents see how much heat they are losing from their houses and encouraging the insulation of properties.
GIS can be used to plan and monitor the efficient use of vehicles from an individual journey to entire fleet operations, for services as diverse as Meals on Wheels, Home Care and Special Education Needs Transportation.
Web based solutions can also be used to help families identify the quickest / safest route to school reducing CO2 emissions from unnecessary travel to school by car and encouraging a more healthy lifestyle by encouraging children to walk to school.
ESRI (UK) has been a supplier to Kent County Council for over 15 years, and we would be very keen to further this relationship and explore opportunities for ongoing collaboration and innovation. I hope that my approach is of interest and look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
James Thompson Local Government Strategist – ESRI (UK)