Extropia’s event (see previous post) reminds me of something that’s been floating around on my project list for a few weeks and has already moved to my “give this idea away because I don’t have room for it” list. I’ve talked to one or two people in-world about it, and there appears to be interest, but those I’ve talked to have likewise not had room for it.
So, why not mention it here then, eh? I think I shall! If you read the idea I’m about to describe, and you like the sound of the project and think you can pull it off, feel free to run with it! Be free, little idea, be free!
So what is this idea? Second Life has a measurable carbon footprint (given all the physical servers, UPSs, HVAC for the server rooms, et cetera), so why not organize an in-world charity/fundraiser that allows people to “adopt” a portion of that carbon footprint. What does that mean, exactly? Maybe an example would help:
Let’s say you use SL, on average, 10 hours per week. Through this project, you could adopt a chunk of the SL carbon footprint proportional to the amount of time you spend in world per year. (Or more, if you were feeling generous.) To adopt, you donate an amount of money calculated to fit that portion of the footprint, and that money is in turn donated to an environmental cause. Voila — “micro-Kyoto Protocol”, SL style! Linden Lab turns green from the grassroots up.
As I said above, I have no room to head the effort, but I love the idea of someone picking it up and running with it. If you happen to be that person, just drop me a line to let me know; I’ll be glad to help out!