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PRWEB) August 27, 2008 -- How do you get a classroom full of middle school students to be passionate and active about the environment? Is there a way to get the young, tech-obsessed generation to pay attention to the current energy crisis? AlternativeEnergy.com launches GreenCity, a new 10-lesson online enrichment program for the classroom, as an educational and social tool to engage and inform students, grades 4-10.
Developed by AlternativeEnergy.com, the leading online portal for alternative energy news, entertainment, social networking, and live-streaming radio, GreenCity aims to educate students on the causes and effects of excess pollution and energy use in entire populations using Electronic Arts' SimCity Societies, a software program that allows users to construct dynamic virtual cities. "I am thrilled to be a part of such a relevant and forward-thinking approach to a globally important topic and mission," said Doug Schiller, CEO of AlternativeEnergy.com. "Using the cutting-edge technology of EA games as an educational tool can realistically teach students the real-world need for alternative energy in an engaging and informative manner. Through this program, our youngest generation will see how to counteract energy inefficiencies and adopt lasting green lifestyles, all while having a good time playing a video game."
Each of the GreenCity program's 10 lessons has two main parts - game play and real-world applications. Through an initial Web tutorial, students will learn to build their own virtual SimCity based on societal model, and in the proceeding lessons, set specific goals, monitor their city's energy use and chart growth. The students will then control their city, choosing more environmentally-friendly and alternative energy options for city infrastructure.
Students can choose to implement over 500 unique objects into their city, ranging from workplaces to residential buildings and venues, and they can even choose to "bulldoze" pollution-causing buildings or allocate more money to energy research within their city.
As the program progresses, students will monitor their city's pollution, energy output and health risks, while researching green initiatives, environmental issues and real-world green design applications at home. According to Steve Seabolt, VP, Global Brand Development, Electronic Arts Inc, "SimCity Societies is in the unique position of educating while entertaining. BP Alternative Energy's sponsorship of the SimCity Societies game provided us with the technical expertise to build 'energy choices and consequences' into the gameplay, so that youth around the world can be better informed. We welcome AlternativeEnergy.com's efforts towards our 'educating while entertaining' philosophy."
The mission of this initiative is simple - teach students the real, measurable environmental impact of their city and school's energy usage and its effect on their families and future, and arm them with the information they need to be more personally environmentally responsible.
For more information about GreenCity, please visit
www.AlternativeEnergy.com.
“ SimCity Societies is in the unique position of educating while entertaining. ”
EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about GreenCity or AlternativeEnergy.com, or to interview Doug Schiller, please contact Pamela Wadler or Nancy Trent at (212) 966-0024.
