Vancouver Web site promotes green thinking to kids

A Vancouver-based company hopes to raise environmental awareness in children with its new Web site.

EcoBuddies.com is dedicated to making kids more eco-aware by way of games and cute virtual animals.

“The aim is to create a safe, moderated environment for kids where they can talk to each other, interact, as well as gain a base knowledge of ecosystems and environmental themes,” says EcoBuddies CEO Colay Plangg.

After kids log onto the site and create an EcoBuddy character, they can navigate their buddy through a variety of activities, including the exploration of different ecosystems.

It’s through gameplay that children are subtly introduced to issues like recycling and alternative energy resources.

For instance, players may enjoy dressing their characters up in various costumes or cruising around in a red sports car, but they also learn how to recycle unwanted costumes and that their car is powered by electricity rather than gasoline.

“Essentially we’re trying to normalize green living through electric cars, solar panels, windmills, [and] recycling bins so that children grow up to expect that they do have a choice, and they don’t have to buy a Ford F-350,” says Plangg.

The site is ad-free and moderated by staff to ensure that chat on the Web site is kept safe. There’s even an option for parents to set chat limits or monitor who their children are speaking to.

While most of the site’s users are from the West Coast, Plangg notes that the site is starting to see an increasing number of hits from international locations.

“We’ve also had kids coming on from England, from Korea, the Netherlands and Germany,” he says.

Site membership will always be free and, in the coming months, an option will be added for users to purchase specialized extra content for their characters.