For
each tree planted in the virtual Dizzywood forest, a real tree will be
planted through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – August 4, 2008 – Dizzywood (http://www.dizzywood.com), a virtual world and online game for children ages 8-12, today
announced that as a result of its players growing trees in its virtual
forest, 15,000 real trees will be planted on Earth through a
partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. The online activity, which aimed
to restore nature and balance to large tracts of the Wildwood Glen
forest that had been destroyed by Dizzywood’s notorious arch-villain
and his ruthless plots to pollute the land, encouraged players to earn
tree seedlings and then plant them in the damaged areas of the forest.
As
a result of the children’s efforts, the polluted sky has cleared, the
fish have returned to the pond, and the adorable Dizzywood critters
have ventured back to their woodland home. Wildwood
Glen is now a lush forest environment where kids can play games with a
Leaf Sprite for magical seeds, can jump through the trees collecting
honey for a bear, or can hang out by the pond and catch fish that will
follow them around. In addition, a statue commemorates all the hard work the kids did restoring the forest.
“This
wonderful virtual event gave children real-world context by allowing
them to plant trees and rehabilitate a forest — and then see the
impact, including reduced air pollution and providing a habitat for
wildlife,” said Kevin Sander, director of corporate partnerships of the
Arbor Day Foundation. “The ability to see the online impact of their
tree planting, and knowing it will translate into an offline one,
provides children with a sense of empowerment and a purposeful
experience.”
“Dizzywood’s
tree planting is a great example of how an adventurous storyline can
cleverly weave a strong educational component into play,” said Ken
Marden, co-founder of Dizzywood. “It is an opportunity to allow kids to
see the wider impact that they can have by working together, as well as
what it means to be a citizen of the world – in this case, a virtual
one. We hope the kids are as inspired to see their online environmental
activity have real-world results as we are.”
Dizzywood is free to use. Subscriptions will be available to access premium content in the future.
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