Consumer Consequences, A Game About Sustainability

Although there are many ways a person can learn about our impact on the environment, the best learning occurs when you merge the serious stuff with fun, interaction, and visual interests. In this aspect, Consumer Consequence did a fantastic job. It’s an interactive game designed to illustrate the impact of our lifestyles on the Earth. It explores whether the modern American lifestyle is sustainable in the long run.

Once you completed the game, you’ll see your environmental impact and what you can do to reduce it. My score is 4.7 — not so great!

According to the game, these are some of the things I could do to reduce my ecological footprint:

• Stop driving to work and use public transportation. Right now, I am driving (by myself) about 20 miles a day in a 10 years old car. I am sure that’s not good for the air quality. I’ll occasionally try to car pool, but it doesn’t always work out.
• Grow my own food or buy locally grown food.
• Reduce my intake of meat food group.
• Cut down on beer and coffee.

Of course, these are old habits that will take time to adjust, but the important thing is the awareness and the willingness to adjust.

If you haven’t seen the game before, check it out.