Video games seem to have infected everything in society with their contagious delivery of interactive instant-gratification. In many ways, the interactive nature of video games makes them powerful tools for training people to react to stimuli. All other forms of media before video games were purely consumptive forms of communication. People who read books, watch televisions or look at a paintings can follow their imagination and react to the information they are observing, but they are not allowed to write the final chapter of the book, record their own director’s cut or paint more detail into the foreground of a painting.

Once the power of interactive graphic entertainment to train people is acknowledged, one must wonder if video games are training people to do good, moral or societally sustainable acts in the world? In order to shine a spotlight on one morally conscious game theme, let us think about one video game that is related to environmental issues. Games like this are created firstly to entertain, and therefore, the learning process is often a great way to have some laughs.

One of these games comes from the biggest video game publishing company in the world, EA (Electronic Arts). SimCity Societies allows players to build a digital city part by part. Choices between coal plants, nuclear plants, wind plants and solar plants in a player’s city will create major differences in the digital city. Coal plants will require the player to invest in more healthcare as people become sick. The pollution from the plant will also make any residential area or commercial area placed near the plant be less valuable, thereby lowering the tax revenues collected for the city’s virtual budget management.

People who play strategy games like SimCity Societies learn many true facts about environmentalism and economics through balancing and testing various functions of the game software. Check out the official website [simcitysocieties.ea.com] for the game and see if you can’t have some fun while you learn more about cities and nature.

Please write in comments if you have any knowledge of a video game that is related to environmentalism, we would be very curious to hear from you.

The whole “less is new more” ideal isn’t just another movement destined for the fringe; it’s started to catch on in places other than the blogs and online resources, though the ‘net has certainly helped foster the movement. TreeHugger’s pals at Apartment Therapy have been holding a “Smallest, Coolest Apartment” [www.apartmenttherapy.com] contest for three years now. Not necessarily because it’s greener, but out of necessity; the New York City-based blog knows that many New Yorkers live in shoebox-sized apartments, and need design advice to make the most of their diminutive space. But that’s just the beginning.

Image credit: Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
The king of newspaper media, the New York Times, has even caught on, embracing the “tiny house movement” with this article [www.nytimes.com] about people building sensible second homes whose square footage can number in the double digits:
“A wave of interest in such small dwellings — some to serve, like the Shepherds’ home, as temporary housing, others to become space-saving dwellings of a more permanent nature — has prompted designers and manufacturers to offer building plans, kits and factory-built houses to the growing number of small-thinking second-home shoppers. Seldom measuring much more than 500 square feet, the buildings offer sharp contrasts to the rambling houses that are commonplace as second homes.
“This reduction of scale makes sense for a lot of people. Second homes are often geared toward outdoor activities, so for several months of the year interior space is superfluous. Minimal square footage means reduced maintenance costs, less upkeep and reduced energy consumption. Prefabricated and pre-built models can require little or no site preparation, which means no anxious weekend drives to the country to make sure construction is moving along. Add to this an element of instant gratification (once the planning stage is over, most houses go up in days, even hours, and many are delivered, turn-key, to the site).”

The “smallest, coolest” wave even washed over Oprah [www2.oprah.com], whose interior design guru, Nate Berkus, was tasked with making over a 250 square-foot NYC apartment to create a functional, livable, fun space for a show:

“Nate says his ‘biggest challenge ever’ was rewarding because it made him reprioritize some things in his life. ‘I mean, how much space do we really need?’ he says. ‘I thought to myself there was so much joy coming out of those four walls, that it really motivated me to do the best I could do—literally the best I could do.’”

Back in the online world, this ideal is nicely summarized by another TreeHugger pal, Harry Wakefield at MoCo Loco [www.mocoloco.com]:

“The bottom line, don’t be a slave to high mortgages or rent, you can live well with less than you think. An idea we’ve been advocating for a while now, in fact, it goes further than that, we feel it’s really about “less is the new more”. It’s a surprising statement from a blog that generates a non-stop stream of objects made to be consumed. The twist? Consume objects gracefully. Spend more money, buy an item that’s made to last, that’s multi functional and sustainable, that brings beauty and art into your life. Then stop. Take some time to think before buying the next thing.”

Taken separately, these stories are simple examples of one person making a difference; considered together, as a whole, they offer a blueprint for a new, greener way to live your life.

The furniture and interiors TreeHugger often encounters that offer sleek, modern designs combined with green materials and production also often comes with a big price tag. This can be discouraging for those of us who want to live green and look good, too; for some, it also perpetuates the stereotype that green stuff is astronomically expensive, which is not always the case. Custom furniture company Viesso [www.viesso.com] seems to have found a good balance: all of their products, including chairs, sofas, tables, beds, benches, accessories and more, are customizable, and each different option (upholstery, cushions, frame, etc.) has several green choices, allowing customers to be as green as they want to.

They’ve got all the right materials options to make any discerning TreeHugger happy: fabric and textiles from Maharam [www.maharam.com] and Knoll [www.knoll.com], natural latex or feather/down filling instead of polyurethane for cushions and wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). They also feature bamboo, recycled steel springs and recycled stainless steel legs, finished off with water-based stains and glues, to help keep indoor air pollution down. The “Rondi” chair, pictured above, is one of our favorite designs.

While it’s true that these green options do come at a bit of a premium, this TreeHugger was able to put together a great looking 96″ sofa for about $2300, which is a reasonable deal for a big piece of custom furniture, green or otherwise. Viesso is thinking about going 100% green [www.viesso.com], but, in the meantime, we’re glad to see that they offer the option for those of us who care. Each piece, customizable right on their website (which is an ingenious system, we think), usually takes about three weeks to ship after your custom design is submitted; those in need of instant gratification can cruise their selection of floor models [www.viesso.com].

TreeHugger is fond of saying that there isn’t anything that you can’t do a little greener. Though today’s topic is an excellent example of this, and, though might seem a little trivial, we think it’s important to know how to have a good time while being green. Following up on our liquid-based topics from earlier this week, today we’ll take a closer look at some of the organic (and otherwise green) spirits that might be on your list at your next dinner party.

When it comes to the basics, Square One Vodka [www.treehugger.com] is the world’s first certified organic rye vodka; plus, they use soy-based inks in their labeling. Fans of instant gratification will be happy to see that it’s for sale in the TreeHugger Store [store.treehugger.com]. For those who prefer their vodka infused with a little squirt of citrus, we recommend Orange V Vodka [www.treehugger.com], which is made here in the States, and, contrary to most American vodka (which is made from cheap commodity grains, usually corn), is distilled from grains or potatoes that are selected and blended for their particular characteristics, and brewed by one of the few small certified distillers. Places like Counter [www.treehugger.com], in New York, have begun serving up all-organic cocktails for those interested in a taste (there’s a recipe to do it yourself at the above link); it might be the cleanest dirty martini you’ll ever have.

Organic cocktails don’t stop with the hard stuff, though. modmix [www.treehugger.com] offers a cool way to cool off with their organic cocktail mixers in yummy flavors like citrus margarita, lavender lemon drop and pomegranate. If sticking with the martini is more up your alley, we like the Olive Buoy [www.treehugger.com] for a stylish way to ditch the disposable accoutrements and cocktail in style. And when your bottle runneth dry, Recycled Rays [www.treehugger.com] will help you blend your affinity for liquor with interior lighting solutions and keep the bottle out of the waste stream. And if this post has just whetted your appetite for more, TreeHugger recommends taking a peek at Cocktail Organico [www.treehugger.com] for more info on the best in green drinking. Cheers!