University of Singapore students promote environmental awareness

Environmentalists will surely be impressed by the latest development at the National University of Singapore. Students at the University have devised a novel way of promoting environmental awareness using casino inspired games which communicate important messages concerning the welfare of the planet. Popular casino classics such as roulette have been reworked to encourage greener living. Players must spin the wheel in order to accumulate as many positive environment related messages as possible. "Jack-politics", meanwhile, asks players to assemble a total of 4 representative nations on the slots to reach a climate agreement.

The exciting new project, dubbed “The Climate Casino”, has emerged as part of university's green carnival. Coordinated by Students against the Violation of the Earth (SAVE), the carnival lasts a total of four weeks and seeks to educate the local community about one of the most pressing issues in Singapore and the world at large. The project will also be accompanied by a further campaign designed to protect five iconic green spaces at the University. Students are hoping to accumulate some 5,000 names for a petition to the university administrative body in an effort to conserve the areas under threat.

Commenting on the scheme, project director Tan Wei Rui said The Climate Casino has a simple yet important central message. People are literally “gambling” with their future and we have a responsibility to reconsider our lifestyle and “do our best to change". It is clear that this determined and inspired group of students will have their work cut out. Many will be keen to see how the project develops and whether its positive messages will have the intended effect.