IBM kicks off Earth Day celebrations with free online game
Teens challenged to Save Our Planet
PowerUp, the game, may just spark some serious benefits to our environment one day. It’s a free, online, 3-D, multiplayer game that allows students to experience the excitement and diversity of modern engineering as it grapples with finding solutions for potential environmental disasters.
IBM Research created the game (http://www.powerupthegame.org), which was chosen the official game of “America’s largest Earth Day celebration” (20 April 2008). The game, which is available for free download, reflects the core message of Green Apple festival and Earth Day network’s free festivals in parks across the United States.
IBM's 3D Science Game is Official Game of Earth Day
IBM was a sponsor for the events, which were hosted by Earth Day Network and the Green Apple Festival in Washington, D.C., New York, Miami, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Start playing PowerUP the game today! Download at http://www.powerupthegame.org
"Climate change is a threat that must be addressed by every corporation and, in fact, every individual," said Nick Donofrio, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology, IBM. "We are pleased that PowerUp is the official game and hope that it helps encourage future leaders to consider the impact of their energy choices. IBM will continue its leadership in environmental stewardship as we develop new technologies, processes and services that enable us, as well as our clients, to be more energy efficient."
IBM stated that it recognizes the need for an integrated, smart systems approach to solving energy and environmental issues, a continuation of commitments to environmental stewardship that began in the 1970s.
Some of IBM’s other environmental efforts include:
- Great Rivers Partnership: collaboration with The Nature Conservancy to bring IBM expertise and solutions to help manage the world's fresh water resources. The team will develop a comprehensive system that enables decision and policy makers to visualize land and water use trade-off scenarios before long-term decisions are made.
- Energy Efficiency: energy conservation actions from 1990 through 2006 that conserved 4.5 billion kWhrs of electricity and avoided approximately 3 million metric tons of CO2 emissions. By pioneering employee telecommuting and work-at-home programs, the company has also conserved approximately 8 million gallons of fuel in the U.S. alone in 2006.
- Project Big Green: a $1 billion investment to dramatically increase the efficiency of IBM products.
- Intelligent Transportation Systems: including the real time monitoring and forecasting of congestion to reduce carbon emissions and improve transit user experience. A congestion pricing solution for Stockholm shows a 25% reduction in peak hour traffic congestion, and 15% reduced carbon emissions.
- Big Green Innovations: applying the company's advanced expertise and technologies to emerging environmental opportunities, such as advanced water modeling, water filtration via nanotechnology and efficient solar power systems.
- Product End-of-Life Management Program: that has resulted in less than 1 percent of product waste going to landfills by recycling, reselling or refurbishing equipment.
Earth Day is a devoted to bringing attention to important issues affecting our planet and new ways or ideas to conserve energy.
"The Green Apple Festival combines music with a message," says Peter Shapiro, Founder & Executive Producer of Green Apple Festival. "IBM's PowerUp stations at each event provide an interactive way that attendees can gain awareness and get inspired to find potential solutions and future leaders to address the issue of climate change."
Other participants echoed similar feelings.
"This is a great game because you can access it for free. All of your students can get involved, and you can build so many different lessons around this game whether it be social studies, science or engineering," said Michael Sinclair, science teacher at Yorktown High School in New York.
The free PowerUp game is available online at any time. Included classroom lesson plans can be adopted by educators to teach kids about energy transformation topics. Also included, an interactive module where kids can learn about 3D technologies to build virtual worlds. The game is part of IBM's TryScience initiative and was launched as part of Engineer's Week 2008.