EUobserver.com - 28.06.2008
Connecting citizens to combat climate change.

Liberals and Democrats launched a comprehensive climate change campaign to
encourage people to act to reduce their environmental impact. The Changers
campaign is multi-channel, including an interactive community website
 http://www.thechangers.eu, a European on-line bannering and a wide range of
offline posters and promotional material.

For more information please visit http://www.thechangers.eu or
 http://www.alde.eu/climatechange

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Connecting citizens to combat climate change: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), The European Parliament, launches ambitious community website www.theChangers.eu

On May 21, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe launched theChangers.eu, a comprehensive climate change campaign to encourage people to take action to reduce their environmental impact. The Changers campaign is multi-channel, including an interactive website www.thechangers.eu, a European on-line bannering campaign and a wide range of offline posters and promotional material.

www.thechangers.eu

This ALDE campaign goes further than other climate change campaigns. TheChangers.eu is a fun and educational website that inspires and stimulates behavioural change around the issues of climate change and sustainable behaviour. Climate change is a top priority for ALDE, as shown by the group’s legislative work in the European Parliament. The ALDE group calls on all Europeans to make a personal contribution to the global ecosystem by reducing their energy consumption, CO2 emissions and use of natural resources. TheChangers.eu stimulates citizens to take action and also to change the consumption behaviour of theirs friends and families. ALDE will use the power of on-line communities and the digital possibilities available today to influence the actions of young people and through them the wider European community.

The story behind the website theChangers.eu is a virtual reflection of the real world. In this virtual world there are people who are already aware of the risks of climate change and are adapting their behaviour to combat climate change, and others who harm the environment and eco-systems around them through their unconscious actions. By engaging in games and community activities to restore and maintain healthy eco-systems, the ‘Changers’ counter the damage caused by the behaviour of others and actively encourage them to take action by joining the Changers themselves.

TheChangers.eu is built around simple every day actions that anyone can choose to take and thereby reduce their negative environmental impact. Each action is represented by an item which is part of an eco-system. Players interact within these eco-systems by creating their own virtual character or an avatar. By doing so, players can better understand how climate change affects the eco-system and the wildlife within it. By becoming a tree, a butterfly or a polar bear, or even a cloud, Changers learn how these eco-systems are affected by climate change and how their own behaviour can cause or combat this change.

 http://www.alde.eu/index.php?id=230