Playing Sustainable by Carla

Playing Sustainable by Carla - April 2023 Scholarship Essay

If I had unlimited time and money, I would use what I've learned in school to create a positive impact on the world by gamifying sustainability practices. The world is facing a multitude of challenges, including climate change, resource depletion, and pollution. Therefore, we need innovative solutions to tackle these issues, and gamification can be a powerful tool in promoting sustainable behaviors and lifestyles.

Gamification is the process of applying game-like elements to non-game contexts, such as education, health, and business. It can be used to encourage people to adopt sustainable practices by making them fun, engaging, and rewarding. For example, a mobile app that tracks the user's carbon footprint and rewards them for reducing it, or a website that educates people about the environmental impact of their food choices and challenges them to make sustainable dietary changes.

The idea of gamifying sustainability practices is not a new one, but it has great potential for creating positive change. By making sustainable practices more accessible and enjoyable, we can encourage more people to adopt them and make a significant impact on the environment. Gamification can also help to overcome the psychological barriers that prevent people from making sustainable choices, such as inertia, procrastination, and the feeling of being overwhelmed by the complexity of the issues.

One of the key benefits of gamification is its ability to create social norms that promote sustainable behaviors. When people see that others are taking sustainable actions and being rewarded for them, they are more likely to follow suit. This can create a positive feedback loop where sustainable behaviors become the norm rather than the exception.

To create a successful gamification project for sustainability practices, I would draw upon my knowledge of psychology, game design, and sustainability. I would work with a team of experts in these fields to design and develop an engaging and effective gamification platform. The platform would be user-friendly and accessible to a wide range of people, from children to adults, and it would incorporate social elements to encourage collaboration and competition.

In addition to designing the platform, I would also focus on outreach and education. I would work with schools, community organizations, and businesses to promote the platform and encourage people to participate. I would also develop educational materials to help people understand the importance of sustainability and how their actions can make a difference.

Overall, my goal would be to create a gamification platform that inspires people to take action on sustainability and helps to create a more sustainable world. I believe that gamification has the power to engage and motivate people in a way that traditional education and awareness-raising campaigns cannot. By making sustainability fun and rewarding, we can create a world where sustainable practices are the norm, and everyone is doing their part to protect the planet.

In conclusion, if I had unlimited time and money, I would use what I've learned in school to create a positive impact on the world by gamifying sustainability practices. I am inspired by the potential of gamification to promote sustainable behaviors and create social norms that encourage sustainability. With the right team and resources, I believe that we can create a gamification platform that makes a real difference in the world.