Schlagwort: environment

Explore New Worlds and Solve Environmental Challenges With Gaming This Earth Day
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Reading Time: 7 minutes
Summary
- Explore games that allow players to explore and engage with the natural world
- Help Duriel sacrifice his horde as they donate buckets of maggots to Tiggywinkles animal rescue hospital
- Learn about a new building at Rare, which has sustainability at its heart
At Microsoft we have made bold commitments to improve the impact of our business on the environment. Consequently, Xbox has made strategic, innovative and meaningful investments that scale up across the gaming industry:
- Our Shutdown (Energy Saving) power mode, Active Hours and Carbon Aware console updates have made the use of our consoles more energy and emissions efficient.
- The Xbox Sustainability Toolkit has empowered game developers to optimize their game code for energy efficiency on Xbox consoles and beyond.
In addition to these software innovations, we are making advancements in hardware and infrastructure spaces as well:
- The Xbox Wireless Controller – Remix Special Edition was an exercise to explore ways to use less new plastic and reduce waste.
- We are supporting impact reductions in-office, with Rare unveiling a new LEED Gold accredited building on its UK campus — Xbox’s first mass timber building in Europe for Xbox Game Studios.
As important as it is that we make these material changes, one of the great benefits gaming can have on environmental issues is often overlooked! The medium of gaming can act as a tool which provides world exploration for those that may not easily access the natural environment. It also fosters outside of the box thinking, empathy, and team action – all necessary ingredients to solve environmental issues. Gaming can unlock the world, break the barriers of what is possible and inspire environmental action for generations to come.

Read on to learn more about gaming as a medium for environmental change and how Xbox is celebrating Earth Day.

Play

Explore Sustainability with Minecraft

Bring climate and sustainability science to life with incredible animals. Minecraft Education Planet Earth III created in partnership with BBC Earth engages students with a free curriculum that includes lesson plans and discussion guides. Explore the way these animals’ lives are intertwined by playing as both predator and prey, parent and offspring, friend and ally, and discover the precarious balance of survival.

Research climate change while learning the principles of AI. With Minecraft Education AI for Earth students will learn principles of AI while taking their first steps into this exciting realm of computer science. Learners will use the power of AI in a range of exciting real-world scenarios, including preservation of wildlife and ecosystems, helping people in remote areas, and research on climate change.

Explore games with environmental themes on Game Pass

Simulation games provide a unique ability to explore and grow environments while also managing and regenerating natural resources. Check out these games that highlight these themes within their mechanics and stories:
- Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Available with Xbox Game Pass on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Cloud) – Build a sustainable ecofarm and carefully manage your relationship with the ecosystem in this peaceful open-world farming adventure on a planet at the far edge of the galaxy. This game encourages sustainability efforts, including planting trees to replace those you harvest and cleaning up pollution. Invite up to three friends to create a flourishing homestead.
- Coral Island (Available with Xbox Game Pass on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Cloud) – Play a part in conserving native flora and fauna, dive into the seas to clean up the coral reef, and pick up trash all around the island in this family-friendly farming simulator inspired by Southeast Asia. The development team from Indonesia included themes of conservation in the way players must maintain the island’s ecosystem all while encouraging you to form a bond with nature.
- Stardew Valley (Available with Xbox Game Pass on Console, PC, and Cloud) – You’ve inherited your grandfather’s overgrown farm plot and with a little dedication, you might be able to restore Stardew Valley to greatness! With an anti-consumerism plot against the JoJa Corporation and a whole lot of land to explore, Stardew Valley showcases love of nature and focuses on life’s simple pleasures.
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The Seattle Aquarium uses Xbox Controllers to research the depths of local waterways

Xbox is excited to spotlight and support the incredible underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) research work of the Seattle Aquarium—a program designed to inform habitat restoration efforts throughout the region and reverse the decline of local kelp forests. The aquarium’s ROV Nereo, named after the scientific name for bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), is a small, customizable, and easily maneuverable device that can dive up to 100 meters deep and transmit live video and data to the surface. Our favorite part? The researchers use Xbox controllers to pilot the ROV Nereo and navigate through the dense and dynamic kelp forests in Elliott Bay, the waterway surrounding the aquarium.

In addition to providing food and shelter for hundreds of marine animals, bull kelp also sequesters carbon from the water and locally mitigates the effects of ocean acidification. While some regions in the Salish Sea have thriving kelp forests, other regions are seeing up to a 95% decline, and researchers aren’t always sure why. The aquarium’s ROV work helps researchers survey declining kelp ecosystems and the factors that impact their health so the broader Washington kelp conservation, restoration, and management community can work towards restoration.

To expand the scope and scale of this work, the aquarium is collaborating with the Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources Shellfish Program to help them get their own ROV program up and running. The aquarium is also partnering with state agencies and Reef Check to compare ROV and scuba diving as methods for collecting data, and to evaluate the effectiveness of different environmental monitoring strategies. By using Xbox controllers to operate the ROV, the aquarium is not only making research more fun and accessible to future generations of marine conservationists, but also demonstrating the power of technology for environmental conservation and education. Through education and outreach events with a variety of local organizations, the aquarium hopes this program will inspire more people to appreciate and protect the kelp forests and the marine life they support.

To learn more about the Seattle Aquarium and the work they do visit seattleaquarium.org and watch our Xbox livestream at the Seattle Aquarium from Earth Day 2023.

Diablo IV: Duriel’s Offering to Tiggywinkles

Duriel the Maggot King has enlisted Diablo IV fans to help sacrifice his horde. For every 25 likes on the Earth Day post from Diablo’s X account, Blizzard will be donating a bucket of Maggots to Tiggywinkles, up to 666 buckets of maggots, to help feed their bird nursery. With each bucket containing roughly 45,000 maggots, you could help Blizzard fund Tiggywinkle’s bird rehabilitation program for more than two years by simply liking their post.

Tiggywinkles is a specialist animal rescue hospital in the UK. They are dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating all species of local wildlife. Every animal brought to the hospital is given a chance and treated with the best available care. Any animal or bird unable to be released back to the wild is maintained at the Hospital, in as natural conditions as possible. Head to the Diablo X account to help turn likes into buckets of maggots for the birds.

Engage

Barn X on the Rare Campus

Xbox has constructed its first mass timber building in Europe at Rare, the Xbox Game Studio and creator of Sea of Thieves. The new solar-powered studio is already inspiring game developers to create unique shared experiences for players.

Located in Twycross, Leicestershire, Rare’s new building – called ‘Barn X’ – was opened in early 2023 on the Rare campus, which is surrounded by nature in the heart of the English countryside.

Rare’s Studio Head, Craig Duncan, said: “Our new barn is a demonstration of leading-edge sustainability and environmental design, creating a model green workplace. The opportunity to expand our campus by building a state-of-the-art environment for our teams while supporting Microsoft to achieve its sustainability goals has been genuinely rewarding. The new space design promotes collaboration, creativity and wellbeing, which are essential ingredients for a team to create fun experiences for players everywhere.”

Barn X has recently been certified LEED GOLD for its design and construction – a worldwide-recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership. It is one example of how Microsoft is implementing sustainable solutions for the future as it pursues its goal to be carbon negative by 2030.

You can read more about the new building and how it is enabling creativity and enhancing wellbeing here.

Playing for the Planet Annual Impact Report

As a founding member of the Playing 4 The Planet Alliance, we are excited to share the 2023 Annual Impact Report. The report includes:
- A measure of progress towards Playing 4 the Planet’s strategic goals.
- Updates on focus areas, such as decarbonization, The Green Game Jam, and more.
- A review of members’ commitments towards sustainability.
Xbox won the Green Studio of the Year award at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023. We thank the industry for recognizing our green gaming efforts, but we can achieve more when we work with others. That’s why we’re excited to welcome Activision Blizzard, one of America’s Greenest Companies 2024, to Team Xbox. We look forward to collaborating with our new teammates from Activision Blizzard and King, who are already improving the impact of gaming.

And even more from Team Microsoft: Visit Microsoft Unlocked to explore innovations across Microsoft products, partners and customers that are helping to achieve our carbon goals!

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22/04/2024
Young people’s projects for a sustainable future

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This post has been adapted from an article in issue 19 of Hello World magazine, which explores the interaction between technology and sustainability.

We may have had the Coolest Projects livestream, but we are still in awe of the 2092 projects that young people sent in for this year’s online technology showcase! To continue the Coolest Projects Global 2022 celebrations, we’re shining a light on some of the participants and the topics that inspired their projects.

In this year’s showcase, the themes of sustainability and the environment were extremely popular. We received over 300 projects related to the environment from young people all over the world. Games, apps, websites, hardware — we’ve seen so many creative projects that demonstrate how important the environment is to young people.

Here are some of these projects and a glimpse into how kids and teens across the world are using technology to look after their environment.

Using tech to make one simple change

Has anyone ever told you that a small change can lead to a big impact? Check out these two Coolest Projects entries that put this idea into practice with clever inventions to make positive changes to the environment.

Arik (15) from the UK wanted to make something to reduce the waste he noticed at home. Whenever lots of people visited Arik’s house, getting the right drink for everyone was a challenge and often resulted in wasted, spilled drinks. This problem was the inspiration behind Arik’s ‘Liquid Dispenser’ project, which can hold two litres of any desired liquid and has an outer body made from reused cardboard. As Arik says, “You don’t need a plastic bottle, you just need a cup!”

Arik’s project helps you easily select a drink with the press of a button

Amrit (13), Kingston (12), and Henry (12) from Canada were also inspired to make a project to reduce waste. ‘Eco Light’ is a light that automatically turns off when someone leaves their house to avoid wasted electricity. For the project, the team used a micro:bit to detect the signal strength and decide whether the LED should be on (if someone is in the house) or off (if the house is empty).

“We wanted to create something that hopefully would create a meaningful impact on the world.”

Amrit, Kingston, and Henry

Projects for local and global positive change

We love to see young people invent things to have positive changes in the community, on a local and global level.

This year, Sashrika (11) from the US shared her ‘Gas Leak Detector’ project, which she designed to help people who heat their homes with diesel. On the east coast of America, many people store their gas tanks in the basement. This means they may not realise if the gas is leaking. To solve this problem, Sashrika has combined programming with physical computing to make a device that can detect if there is a gas leak and send a notification to your phone.

Sashrika and her gas leak detector

Sashrika’s project has the power to help lots of people and she has even thought about how she would make more changes to her project in the name of sustainability:

“I would probably add a solar panel because there are lots of houses that have outdoor oil tanks. Solar panel[s] will reduce electricity consumption and reduce CO2 emission[s].”

Sashrika

Amr in Syria was also thinking about renewable energy sources when he created his own ‘Smart Wind Turbine’.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKAhNK31x9s?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

The ‘Smart Wind Turbine’ is connected to a micro:bit to measure the electricity generated by a fan. Amr conducted tests that recorded that more electricity was generated when the turbine faced in the direction of the wind. So Amr made a wind vane to determine the wind’s direction and added another micro:bit to communicate the results to the turbine.

Creating projects for the future

We’ve also seen projects created by young people to make the world a better place for future generations.

Naira and Rhythm from India have designed houses that are suited for people and the planet. They carried out a survey and from their results they created the ‘Net Zero Home’. Naira and Rhythm’s project offers an idea for homes that are comfortable for people of all abilities and ages, while also being sustainable.

“Our future cities will require a lot of homes, this means we will require a lot of materials, energy, water and we will also produce a lot of waste. So we have designed this net zero home as a solution.”

Naira and Rhythm

Andrea (9) and Yuliana (10) from the US have also made something to benefit future generations. The ‘Bee Counter’ project uses sensors and a micro:bit to record bees’ activity around a hive. Through monitoring the bees, the team hope they can see (and then fix) any problems with the hive. Andrea and Yuliana want to maintain the bees’ home to help them continue to have a positive influence on our environment.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_hbfiAgwAI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

Knowledge is power: projects to educate and inspire

Some young creators use Coolest Projects as an opportunity to educate and inspire people to make environmental changes in their own lives.

Sabrina (13) from the UK created her own website, ‘A Guide to Climate Change’. It includes images, text, graphics of the Earth’s temperature change, and suggestions for people to minimise their waste. Sabrina also received the Broadcom Coding with Commitment award for using her skills to provide vital information about the effects of climate change.

Sabrina’s project

Kushal (12) from India wanted to use tech to encourage people to help save the environment. Kushal had no experience of app development before making his ‘Green Steps’ app. He says, “I have created a mobile app to connect like-minded people who want to do something about [the] environment.”

Kushal’s app helps people to upload and save pictures, like content from other users, and access helpful resources

These projects are just some of the incredible ideas we’ve seen young people enter for Coolest Projects this year. It’s clear from the projects submitted that the context of the environment and protecting our planet resonates with so many students, summarised by Sabrina, “Some of us don’t understand how important the earth is to us. And I hope we don’t have to wait until it is gone to realise.”

Check out the Coolest Projects showcase for even more projects about the environment, alongside other topics that have inspired young creators.

Website: LINK

27/07/2022
Computing and sustainability in your classroom | Hello World #19
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Issue 19 of our free magazine Hello World, written by and for the computing education community, focuses on the interaction between sustainability and computing, from how we can interact with technology responsibly, to its potential to mitigate climate change.

To give you a taste of this brand-new issue, here is primary school teacher Peter Gaynord’s article about his experience of using an environmental case study to develop a cross-curricular physical computing unit that gives his learners a real-life context.

Peter Gaynord.

Real-life problem solving

The prospect of developing your own unit of work from scratch can feel very daunting. With the number of free resources available, it begs the question, why do it? Firstly, it gives you the opportunity to deliver computing that is interwoven with the rest of your curriculum. It also naturally lends itself to a constructionist approach to learning through meaningful engagement with real-world problem-solving. In this article, I am going to share my experience of developing a ten-lesson unit of physical computing for students aged nine to ten that is linked to the more general topic of the environment.

To engage children in the process of problem-solving, it is important that the problem is presented as a real and meaningful one. To introduce the topic of the environment, we showed pupils a video of the Panama Canal, including information about the staggering amount of CO2 that is saved by ships taking this route instead of the alternative, longer routes that use more fuel. However, we explained that because of the special geographical features, a moving bridge needed to be constructed over the canal. The students’ challenge was first to design a solution to the problem, and then to make a working model.

One bridge model from Peter’s class.

The model would use physical computing as part of the solution to the problem. The children would program a single-geared motor using a Crumble microcontroller to slowly lift and lower the bridge by the desired amount. We decided to issue a warning to drivers that the road bridge was about to close using a Sparkle, a programmable LED. Ultimately, the raising and lowering of the bridge would happen automatically when a ship approached. For this purpose, we would use an ultrasonic sensor to detect the presence of the ship.

Building the required skills

To develop the skills required to use the Crumble microcontroller, we led some discrete computing lessons based largely on the Teach Computing Curriculum’s ‘Programming A — Selection in physical computing’ unit. In these lessons, the children developed the skill of sensing and responding differently to conditions using the selection programming construct. They learnt this key concept alongside controlling and connecting the motor, the Sparkle, and the ultrasonic sensor.

Physical computing allows learners to get hands-on.

For students to succeed, we also had to teach them skills from other subjects, and consider at what stage it would be most useful to introduce them. For example, before asking children to document their designs, we first needed to teach the design technology (DT) objectives for communicating ideas through sketches. Most other DT objectives that covered the practical skills to make a model were interwoven as the project progressed. At the end of the project, we guided the children through how to evaluate their design ideas and reflect on the process of model making. Before pupils designed their solutions, we also had to introduce some science for them to apply to their designs. We covered increasing forces using levers, pulleys, and gears, as well as the greenhouse effect and how burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming.

Another bridge model made in Peter’s class.

It is very important not to specify a solution for students at the beginning, otherwise the whole project becomes craft instead of problem-solving. However, it is important to spend some time thinking about any practical aspects of the model building that may need extra scaffolding. Experience suggested that it was important to limit the scale of the children’s models. We did this by showing them a completed central bridge span and later, guiding the building of this component so that all bridges had the same scale. It also turned out to be very important that the children were limited in their model building to using one single-geared motor. This would ensure that all children engaged with actively thinking about how to utilise the lever and pulley system to increase force, instead of relying on using more motors to lift the bridge.

If you want to finish reading Peter’s article and see his unit outline, download Hello World issue 19 as a free PDF.

Discover more in Hello World 19 — for free

As always, you’ll find this new issue of Hello World packed with resources, ideas, and insights to inspire your learners and your own classroom practice:
- Portraits of scientists who apply artificial intelligence models to sustainability research
- Research behind device-repair cafés
- A deep dive into the question of technology obsolescence
- And much more
All issues of Hello World as available as free PDF downloads. Subscribe to never miss a digital issue — and if you’re an educator in the UK, you can subscribe to receive free print copies in the post.

PS: US-based educators, if you’re at CSTA Annual Conference in Chicago this month, come meet us at booth 521 and join us at our sessions about writing for Hello World, the Big Book of Computing Pedagogy, and more. We look forward to seeing you there!

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05/07/2022
Green information technology and classroom discussions
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The global IT industry generates as much CO2 as the aviation industry. In Hello World issue 17, we learn about the hidden impact of our IT use and the changes we can make from Beverly Clarke, national community manager for Computing at School and author of Computer Science Teacher: Insight Into the Computing Classroom.
- Beverly Clarke
- Hello World issue 17
With the onset of the pandemic, the world seemed to shut down. Flights were grounded, fewer people were commuting, and companies and individuals increased their use of technology for work and communication. On the surface, this seemed like a positive time for the environment. However, I soon found myself wondering about the impact that this increased use of technology would have on our planet, in particular the increases in energy consumption and e-waste. This is a major social, moral, and ethical issue that is hiding in plain sight — green IT is big news.

This is a major social, moral, and ethical issue that is hiding in plain sight — green IT is big news.

Energy and data centres

Thinking that online is always better for the planet is not always as straightforward as it seems. If we choose to meet via conference call rather than travelling to a meeting, there are hidden environmental impacts to consider. If there are 50 people on a call from across the globe, all of the data generated is being routed around the world through data centres, and a lot of energy is being used. If all of those people are also using video, that is even more energy than audio only.

Data centres consume a lot of energy — and how is that energy generated?

Not only is the amount of energy being used a concern, but we must also ask ourselves how these data centres are being powered. Is the energy they are using coming from a renewable source? If not, we may be replacing one environmental problem with another.

What about other areas of our lives, such as taking photos or filming videos? These two activities have probably increased as we have been separated from family and friends. They use energy, especially when the image or video is then shared with others around the world and consequently routed through data centres. A large amount of energy is being used, and more is used the further the image travels.

Not only is the amount of energy being used a concern, but we must also ask ourselves how these data centres are being powered.

Similarly, consider social media and the number of posts individuals and companies make on a daily basis. All of these are travelling through data centres and using energy, yet for the most part this is not visible to the user.

E-waste

E-waste is another green IT issue, and one that will only get worse as we rely on electronic devices more. As well as the potential eyesore of mountains of e-waste, there is also the impact upon the planet of mining the precious metals used in these electronics, such as gold, copper, aluminium, and steel.

The processes used to mine these metals lead to pollution, and we should also consider that some of the precious metals used in our devices could run out, as there is not an endless supply in the Earth’s surface.

It is also problematic that a lot of e-waste is sent to developing countries with limited recycling plants […].

It is also problematic that a lot of e-waste is sent to developing countries with limited recycling plants, and so much of the e-waste ends up in landfill. This can lead to toxic substances being leaked into the Earth’s surface.

First steps towards action

With my reflective hat on, I started to think about discussions we as teachers could have with pupils around this topic, and came up with the following:
- Help learners to talk about the cloud and where it is located. We can remind them that the cloud is a physical entity. Show them images of data centres to help make this real, and allow them to appreciate where the data we generate every day goes.
- Ask learners how many photos and videos they have on their devices, and where they think those items are stored. This can be extended to a year group or whole-school exercise so they can really appreciate the sheer amount of data being used and sent across the cloud, and how data centres fit with that energy consumption. I did this activity and found that I had 7163 photos and 304 videos on my phone — that’s using a lot of energy!
Helping young people gain an understanding of the impact of our use of electronic devices is an important action you can take.
- Ask learners to research any local data centres and find out how many data centres there are in the world. You could then develop this into a discussion, including language related to data centres such as sensors, storage devices, cabling, and infrastructure. This helps learners to connect the theory to real-world examples.
- Ask learners to reflect upon how many devices they use that are connected to the Internet of Things.
- Consider for ourselves and ask parents, family, and friends how our online usage has changed since before the pandemic.
- Consider what happens to electronic devices when they are thrown away and become e-waste. Where does it all go? What is the effect of e-waste on communities and countries?
Tips for greener IT

UK-based educators can watch a recent episode of TV programme Dispatches that investigates the carbon footprint of the IT industry. You can add the following tips from the programme to your discussions:
- Turn off electronic devices when not in use
- Use audio only when on online calls
- Dispose of your old devices responsibly
- Look at company websites and see what their commitment is to green IT, and consider whether we should support companies whose commitment to the planet is poor
- Use WiFi instead of 3G/4G/5G, as it uses less energy
These lists are not exhaustive, but provide a good starting point for discussions with learners. We should all play our small part in ensuring that we #RestoreOurEarth — this year’s Earth Day theme — and having an awareness and understanding of the impact of our use of electronic devices is part of the way forward.

Some resources on green IT — do you have others?

What about you? In the comments below, share your thoughts, tips, and resources on green IT and how we can bring awareness of it to our learners and young people at home.

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15/12/2021
5750 Scottish children code to raise awareness of climate change with Code Club
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This month, the team behind our Code Club programme supported nearly 6000 children across Scotland to “code against climate change” during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
“The scale of what we have achieved is outstanding. We have supported over 5750 young learners to code projects that are both engaging and meaningful to their conversations on climate.”

Louise Foreman, Education Scotland (Digital Skills team)

Creative coding to raise awareness of environmental issues

Working with teams from Education Scotland, and with e-Sgoil, our Code Club team hosted two live online code-along events that saw learners from 235 schools across Scotland come together to code and learn about protecting the environment.

“This type of event at this scale would not have been possible before the pandemic. Now joining and learning through live online events is quite normal, thanks to platforms like e-Sgoil’s DYW Live. That said, the success of these code-alongs has been above even our wildest imaginations.”

Peter Murray, Education Scotland (Developing the Young Workforce team)

Classes of young people aged 8 to 14 across Scotland joined the live online code-along through the national GLOW platform and followed Lorna from our Code Club team through a step-by-step project guide to code creative projects with an environmental theme.

At our first session, for beginners, the coding newcomers explored the importance of pollinating insects for the environment. They first learned that a third of the food we eat depends on pollinators such as bees and butterflies, and that these insects are endangered by environmental crises.
Then the young coders celebrated pollinating insects by coding a garden scene filled with butterflies, based on our popular Butterfly garden project guide. This Scratch project introduces beginner coders to loops while they code their animations, and it allows them to get creative and customise the look of their projects. Above are still images of two example animations coded by the young learners.

The second Code Club code-along event was designed for more confident coders. First, learners were asked to consider the impact of plastic in our oceans and reflect on the recent news that around 26,000 tonnes of coronavirus-related plastic waste (such as masks and gloves) has already entered our oceans. To share this message, they then coded a game based on our Save the shark Scratch project guide. In this game, players help a shark swim through the ocean trying to avoid plastic waste, which is dangerous to its health.

Following on from last weeks’ coding session P4 were able to work collaboratively to code a game. The aim is for the shark to eat the fish and not the plastic. We have been learning about protecting our planet in class. Thank you @CodeClubScot for the detailed instructions! JP pic.twitter.com/3kmsmLFUzA

— St John’s RC Academy (@st_johnsacademy) November 10, 2021

Supporting young people’s future together

These two Scotland-wide code-along events for schools were made possible by the long-standing collaboration between Education Scotland and our Code Club team. Over the last five years, our shared mission to grow interest for coding and computer science among children across Scotland has helped Scottish teachers start hundreds of Code Clubs.

The school children who participated in the code-along sessions enjoyed themselves a lot, as shown by this note from one of them.

“The code-alongs were the perfect celebration of all the brilliant work we have done together over the years. What better way to demonstrate the importance of computing science to young people than to show them that not only can they use those skills on something important like climate change, but they are also in great company with thousands of other children across Scotland. I am excited about the future.”

Kirsty McFaul, Education Scotland (Technologies team)

Join thousands of teachers around the world who run Code Clubs

We also want to give kudos to the teachers of the 235 schools who helped their learners participate in this Code Club code-along. Thanks to your skills in supporting your learners to participate in online sessions — skills hard-won during school closures — over 5000 young people have been inspired about coding and protecting the planet we all share.
Teachers around the world run Code Clubs for their learners, with the help of our free Code Club resources and support. Find out more about starting a Code Club at your school at www.codeclub.org.

Website: LINK
18/11/2021
Digital making projects about protecting our planet
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Explore our new free pathway of environmental digital making projects for young people! These new step-by-step projects teach learners Scratch coding and include real-world data — from data about the impact of deforestation on wildlife to sea turtle tracking information.

By following along with the digital making projects online, young people will discover how they can use technology to protect our planet, all while improving their computing skills.

One of the new projects is an automatic creature counter based on colour recognition with Scratch

The projects help young people affect change

In the projects, learners are introduced to 5 of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with an environment focus:
- Affordable and Clean Energy
- Responsible Consumption and Production
- Climate Action
- Life Below Water
- Life on Land
The first project in the new pathway is an animation about the UN’s five SDGs focused on the environment.

Technology, science, maths, geography, and design all play a part in the projects. Following along with the digital making projects, young people learn coding and computing skills while drawing on a range of data from across the world. In this way they will discover how computing can be harnessed to collect environmental data, to explore causes of environmental degradation, to see how humans influence the environment, and ultimately to mitigate negative effects.

Where does the real-world data come from?

To help us develop these environmental digital making projects, we reached out to a number of organisations with green credentials:

A sea turtle is being tagged so its movements can be tracked

Inspiring young people about coding with real-world data

The digital making projects, created with 9- to 11-year-old learners in mind, support young people on a step-by-step pathway to develop their skills gradually. Using the block-based visual programming language Scratch, learners build on programming foundations such as sequencing, loops, variables, and selection. The project pathway is designed so that learners can apply what they learned in earlier projects when following along with later projects!

The final project in the pathway, ‘Turtle tracker’, uses real-world data of migrating sea turtles!

We’re really excited to help learners explore the relationship between technology and the environment with these new digital making projects. Connecting their learning to real-world scenarios not only allows young people to build their knowledge of computing, but also gives them the opportunity to affect change and make a difference to their world!

Discover the new digital making projects yourself!

With Green goals, learners create an animation to present the United Nations’ environment-focused Sustainable Development Goals.

Through Save the shark, young people explore sharks’ favourite food source (fish, not humans!), as well as the impact of plastic in the sea, which harms sharks in their natural ocean habitat.

With the Tree life simulator project guide, learners create a project that shows the impact of land management and deforestation on trees, wildlife, and the environment.

Computers can be used to study wildlife in areas where it’s not practical to do so in person. In Count the creatures, learners create a wildlife camera using their computer’s camera and Scratch’s new video sensing extension!

Electricity is important. After all, it powers the computer that learners are using! In Electricity generation, learners input real data about the type and amount of natural resources countries across the world use to generate electricity, and they then compare the results using an animated data visualisation.

Understanding the movements of endangered turtles helps to protect these wonderful animals. In this new Turtle tracker project, learners use tracking data from real-life turtles to map their movements off the coast of West Africa.

Code along wherever you are!

All of our projects are free to access online at any time and include step-by-step instructions. They can be undertaken in a club, classroom, or at home. Young people can share the project they create with their peers, friends, family, and the wider Scratch community.

Visit the Protect our planet pathway to experience the projects yourself.

Website: LINK
29/10/2020
Clean up the planet with awesome robot arms in Trash Rage from Giant Lazer

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VR has the power to educate as well as entertain, but designing experiences that do both successfully is easier said than done. Luckily, the team over at Giant Lazer were more than up to the task when they created the sci-fi arcade experience Trash Rage. Tasked with cleaning up a planet ravaged with pollution and waste, you’ll use super cool robot arms to frantically sort a bevy of junk on your quest for a cleaner world and a higher score.

We sat down with the head of Giant Lazer to hear about what went into this addictive and enlightening experience.

Interview by Nathan Allen Ortega, Viveport Staff

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlWQU5TxdBE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

For those unfamiliar, tell us a bit about yourself and your team – your background in VR and game development and so on.

Jakub Korczynski: I am the CEO at Giant Lazer. I have a technical, but also musical background. I worked on more than 25 VR/AR projects using various hardware setups and special features ranging from haptic gloves to A.I.

My team consists of people with a wide range of skills. Together with have built the first educational VR game in Poland and we are the creators of Industry XR – a platform for easily deploying VR and AR in Industry 4.0. We like to get creative with VR that is why we love doing different types of projects: for education, industry or gaming.

The first title that we decided to produce by ourselves and self-publish is Trash Rage – the environmental education VR game. The core Trash Rage team consists of nine people. Anita the cosplaying concept artist and developer, Ozi the programming wizz, Mahrcheen – 3D graphic artist and animator, Sebastian our sound designer, Matt our UX, Adam and Andrew, the photo/video crew and Ania which worked on organizing Trash Rage Game Days and marketing.

Trash Rage is a post-apocalypse set arcade experience about the impact humans have on the environment – was making the game educational as well as fun a goal from the outset?

Yes, it was our goal from day one. We wanted to create something that isn’t a typical educational game. Those tend to be very literal and in result not much fun. We wanted to take people somewhere, to tell a story and to make them sweat a little – the game is fast paced and can get intense.

What were your biggest sources of inspiration when crafting the world of Trash Rage?

Our inspirations came from many sources. I would certainly highlight Isle of Dogs – a Wes Anderson film. Others include: Love, Death And Robots: Three Robots, Elysium, Ready Player One, WALL-E, Suisei no Gargantia, Blade Runner 2049, The 100 and Gunnm: Battle Angel Alita. All these were strong visual inspirations.

Most of these are considered post apocalyptic fiction, where the main culprit is a rogue A.I., genetically modified cats or global (nuclear) war.

In Trash Rage we did include A.I., but the main theme is environmental destruction and trashing of the planet. The humans get a second chance after the A.I. goes haywire and destroys itself. In this post-post-apocalypse world it’s a fight for resources and a fight for survival.

I should also mention other inspirations like The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. We also were motivated by things such as the less and zero waste communities and Extinction Rebellion.

Were there any particular design challenges that your team encountered that you didn’t expect?

One such challenge was overcoming the limits of human perception. It quickly occurred to us that the mechanic we had envisioned was generally too hard for people. Most of them, trying VR for the first time, didn’t have the coordination and memory required to play Trash Rage. It was just too overwhelming. We had to tune things down a bit and do a lot of testing before we achieved a good balance of the game. Some people say “it’s very easy to play”. It is! But this required many hours of trail and error to achieve. We’re proud of that characteristic – anybody can learn to play in seconds. Of course the game is hard to master. It requires a lot of concentration to stay focused till the end. We are yet to see people achieve the scores we are able to, knowing the game mechanics inside out.

What are your thoughts on the role VR and other emerging innovative technology can play in regards to educating people – especially in regards to preserving our world?

Stanford research has shown that VR is an excellent tool for learning. They also proved that learning about environmental issues is a great VR use case.

I think that VR certainly has a future in education. When it comes to environmental education Virtual Reality can let people experience the consequences of our actions first-hand. This is in contrast to just reading some news or watching a video. We can learn by experience and really see our impact on the planet.

What kind of research did you do to prepare to make this ecologically minded arcade experience?

We first reached out to companies that work in the recycling sector. They helped us clear up common myths about recycling. We learned that unfortunately recycling isn’t the answer to all humanities waste problems. It works great in some cases like aluminium and glass. Other types of trash like plastic can’t be recycled efficiently, so only going to less waste or even zero waste is the real solution to reducing the amount of plastic in our environment.

We even made a short video about how many single-use plastic bags one might use during one visit to the grocery. It went viral in Poland.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUV9SydDvYo?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

We later talked with environmental educators and also managed to get feedback from the Polish Ministry of Environment about the recycling scheme we used in the game. It turned out that the regulations and what is often implemented locally differ. That is why we are planning to upgrade the game with an editor for educators. They will be able to adjust the trash sorting rules to their local regulations. With this upgrade it will be super easy to use the app for educational purposes all around the world.

Making something that people will want to play time and time again with lots of mechanical depth is no easy task. What was the design process like to craft this addictive and satisfying arcade experience?

We had some previous experience with a “First Person Catcher FPC” mechanic with our production Pack Rage. It was an educational game about symbols used for logistic packaging of dangerous goods. It was our first commercial VR game for WSB University and the first educational VR game in Poland too. To make the mechanic work for Trash Rage, we had to rebuild the game from scratch, but we used Pack Rage as a prototype for testing new gameplay upgrades.

We also managed to make some stuff a lot better. For example the Blob. The Blob is a bucket-sized piece of car oil goo that makes it harder for the player to see. In the first version this was something that blocked your sight. After tests with users it turned out that it wasn’t a good VR experience. Something sticking to your face makes you want to take your headset off. Finally it ended up being an LSD-like effect that changes the color of the world around you, so that it’s super hard to keep scoring points.

Have there been any surprising bits of feedback from players since launching that you didn’t expect?

A lot of very funny ones for sure. Some of this feedback is related to people trying VR for the first time. Besides that, we got a lot of love, though there were also those who didn’t like it. Because this isn’t your everyday zombie-shooter we expected some negative reactions. Fortunately the positive responses outweigh the negative ones, which keeps us motivated to keep pushing further. The best responses we got were from people that not only loved the game, but also were thrilled by our effort to educate about environmental issues using VR. That was the best feedback!

What would you like to see from the VR ecosystem going forward in order to empower you to make even more engaging experiences?

Easy content distribution, especially in the school setting is something that would push things forward and would allow us to reach more people with our message. Of course the development of hardware will further allow us to create better experiences for the end user.

Trash Rage is an Early Access title – what has that journey been like, and how is player feedback helping shape the direction of the game as you update it?

Before releasing the game, we gathered feedback on the ground during the many events we organised with Trash Rage. We gathered several hundred questionnaires and spoke with players. After the launch we have much more feedback – now worldwide. Based on this new feedback we are modifying our roadmap to better adjust to what the players are saying. What I can say, is that’s it’s very hard to make educational games. Especially if you really want to appeal to gamers and still have real educational value.

One example I can give of responding to player feedback is that we changed the whole slow motion experience. At first it was a SUPERHOT style slow-mo effect. But because it was hard for players to get a hang of, we changed it to more traditional slow motion.

How long have you and your team been working on this project?

We have been working on Trash Rage for a year now with some breaks for other work.

What do you ultimately want players to take away from their time with Trash Rage?

We want them to have fun first of all, but also to take some time to think about our impact on the planet. It would be great if people considered how simple things that we can do everyday can really make a difference. When people open their eyes and see that they have the power to make change in their daily lives that has benefits for them and their loved ones they will also start to demand change from business and government. Trash Rage is just a small drop in the sea of educational needs, but it’s a start.

Beyond updates to Trash Rage, what’s next for Giant Lazer?

We are currently working on some educational projects like language learning in VR, Japanese business etiquette in 360, a geometry and geography app for school children and an educational app about forest habitats. We are also planning some new cool stuff for Trash Rage beyond just basic game updates. So stay tuned!

Sounds exciting! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Trash Rage is out now on Viveport and Viveport Infinity. Start your free trial today and start warming up your robo recycling arm!

Website: LINK

07/10/2019
HackSpace magazine 10: build a drone

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If you’re a subscriber to HackSpace magazine you’ll already know all about issue 10. For the rest of you who’ve yet to subscribe, issue 10 is out today!

Build a drone

Ever since Icarus flew too close to the sun, man has dreamed of flight. Thanks to brushless motors, cheaper batteries than ever before, and smaller, more powerful microcontrollers, pretty much anyone with the right know-how can build their own drone. Discover the crucial steps you need to get right; find the right motors, propellers, and chassis; then get out there while the weather is still good and soar like a PCB eagle.

Rocket-launching robot

If you prefer to keep your remote-controlled vehicles on the ground, we have an inspiring tale of how one maker combined a miniature strandbeest with our other great obsession (fire, obviously) to create a unique firework launcher. Guy Fawkes would surely be pleased.

Hardware hacking for the environment

In less frivolous project news, we’re reporting from the Okavango Delta in Botswana, where open hardware, open data, and the hard work of volunteers are giving ecologists more information about this essential wetland region. Makers are bringing science out of labs and classrooms, and putting it into the hands of citizen scientists who want to understand and protect their local environment – that’s something we should be proud of.

PCBs win prizes

The Hackaday Prize: the Academy Awards of open hardware. Enter your project today and you stand a chance of winning $50,000. The competition is fierce, so before you do, read our interview with Stephen Tranovich. Stephen is the Technical Community Lead at the Hackaday Prize and decides who gets the chance to win the glittering prizes. Learn from their words!

Food

Our editor Ben loves to eat, so this month he’s been eating lamb kebabs cooked in his home-made tandoor. This ancient cooking method is used all over the Indian subcontinent, and imparts a unique flavour with its combination of heat and steam. Best of all, you can make your own tandoor oven with a Dremel and a few plant pots.

Tutorials

Add push notifications to your letterbox (so your dog doesn’t eat your new passport), write a game for an Arduino, add a recharging pocket to a bag so you can Instagram on the go, and learn everything there is to know about capacitors. All this and more, in HackSpace magazine issue 10!

Get your copy of HackSpace magazine

If you like the sound of this month’s content, you can find HackSpace magazine in WHSmith, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and independent newsagents in the UK. If you live in the US, check out your local Barnes & Noble, Fry’s, or Micro Center next week. We’re also shipping to stores in Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, Belgium, and Brazil, so be sure to ask your local newsagent whether they’ll be getting HackSpace magazine. And if you’d rather try before you buy, you can always download the free PDF.

Subscribe now

“Subscribe now” may not be subtle as a marketing message, but we really think you should. You’ll get the magazine early, plus a lovely physical paper copy, which has really good battery life.

Oh, and twelve-month print subscribers get an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express loaded with inputs and sensors and ready for your next project. Tempted?

Website: LINK

23/08/2018
Weekend Project: Celebrate Earth Day with This 3D Printed Greenhouse Dome

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With Earth Day coming up this weekend, why not celebrate by 3D printing a DIY greenhouse dome for your garden? Polish up that green thumb, it’s time to use those maker skills for a Mother Nature-approved project.

Nature is filled with majestic plants, vibrant flowers, and ripe fruits, all of which tend to tickle the sentimental side of human beings. While it’s always nice to hike through areas that are rich with green, you can also bring the beauty of the earth into your own backyard.

No matter what type of climate you reside in, a greenhouse can create the ideal environment for your favorite plants. You don’t need to create a gigantic greenhouse, you can also 3D print your miniaturized version on your own!

Designed by Thingiverse user “graph”, this 3D printable Greenhouse Dome is a great way to show your appreciation for the environment and celebrate Earth Day 2018. On top of that, you’ll be able to start sprouting seeds in a warm and nurturing greenhouse.

It’s not too often we see a 3D printing project that will end with some beautiful plants or flowers, so let’s take a quick look at this special Earth Day-edition Weekend Project!

3D Printed Greenhouse Dome: What Do You Need?

To build your own 3D printed Greenhouse Dome, you’ll need to do a lot of 3D printing. Depending on the size you want to make, the models consist of numerous tiny pieces that need to be assembled together. For just one mini Greenhouse Dome, you’ll need to print over 130 parts. Luckily, most of the individual pieces are small and can be grouped together.

You can find the STL files for the Mini Greenhouse Dome here, along with the quantity for each model. If you want to print the larger model, you can also find the STL files on Thingiverse. The unique part about the miniaturized version is that it comes with its own 3D printed plant pot. For the larger dome, you’ll need to buy one separately.

Other than your 3D printer, PLA filament, and a whole lotta patience, you’ll also need to purchase some greenhouse plastic film to wrap around the dome. Add some soil and your plant of choice and you should be good to grow!

For more information on this environmentally sound project, check out the Thingiverse post.

License: The text of „Weekend Project: Celebrate Earth Day with This 3D Printed Greenhouse Dome“ by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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22/04/2018
Scientists Accidentally Create Mutant Enzyme that Eats Plastic

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In what could be a major ecological breakthrough, scientists have accidentally invented a mutant enzyme that likes to feast on PET plastic.

We love 3D printing, but it’s sometimes hard to reconcile the joy of fabricating a 3D object with the plastic waste that is generated. Trial and error is the nature of the hobby — at least in the early stages — and the bin soon fills up with broken bits of ABS, PLA and PET.

Take heart then, in a new study published in the Proceedings of of the National Academy of Sciences. A team of international scientists announce they have accidentally created a new type of enzyme capable of breaking down plastic bottles.

Yes, that’s right, they did it by accident.

The origins of the new study are tied to the 2016 discovery of a bacterium in a Japanese waste dump that had evolved to use PET (polyethylene terephthalate) as an energy source. PET is commonly used in the production of 1 million soft drink bottles sold every minute around the world.

The team of scientists originally began tests to see how the bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis, managed to produce an enzyme capable of degrading PET. But then an unexpected surprise took place; those tests inadvertently made the enzyme even more effective at degrading PET.

The resulting mutant enzyme, called PETase, now takes just a few days to break down PET, compared to the 450 years it requires for it to degrade naturally.

Electron microscope photos of enzyme/substrate interactions. Bryon Donohoe, Nic Rorrer and Gregg Beckham are co-authors of a paper on plastic (PET) eating enzymes, “Characterization and Engineering of a Plastic-Degrading Aromatic Polyesterase” being published PNAS. (Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL)

Mutant Enzyme to Augment Plastic Recycling Efforts

This new development could finally allow us to fully recycle plastic bottles for the first time; it won’t put a stop to plastic pollution, but it should certainly slow down the rate at which it’s piling up in our landfills and oceans.

“Serendipity often plays a significant role in fundamental scientific research and our discovery here is no exception,” said Professor John McGeehan, at the University of Portsmouth, UK, who led the research.

“Although the improvement is modest, this unanticipated discovery suggests that there is room to further improve these enzymes, moving us closer to a recycling solution for the ever-growing mountain of discarded plastics.”

The researchers are now working on improving the enzyme further to allow it to be used industrially to break down plastics in a fraction of the time.

“The engineering process is much the same as for enzymes currently being used in bio-washing detergents and in the manufacture of biofuels,” explains Professor McGeehan.

“Rhe technology exists and it’s well within the possibility that in the coming years we will see an industrially viable process to turn PET and potentially other substrates like PEF, PLA, and PBS, back into their original building blocks so that they can be sustainably recycled.”

And with this exciting development, 3D printing enthusiasts have one more reason to feel good about their hobby.

Source: University of Portsmouth News

License: The text of „Scientists Accidentally Create Mutant Enzyme that Eats Plastic“ by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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20/04/2018