When did you first realise the severity of the environmental crisis? Lisa Pak Wooga Senior partnerships manager/climate officer
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MESSAGING RESONATEWITH EACH INDIVIDUAL
It is hard to pinpoint one moment – it was more of a process. At Wooga, we wanted to understand our carbon footprint. At that time, we did not necessarily know what we would do once we calculated it. And I think getting started is actually the hardest part. As soon as you are carrying out the process and realising the impact of your own emissions, ideas for how to reduce and offset those start coming in from all sides. How will the climate crisis affect your business and the industry? As the climate crisis is something that affects us all, (mobile) gaming is an industry that will join forces to try and do its part to make a difference. Games bring together large communities of engaged players, and we know best how to speak to those players. The gaming industry is full of extremely creative people who can come up with effective ways to express such an important message. This is something that is already happening with groups such as the Playing for the Planet Alliance, which is organising an initiative called Green Game Jam. This brings together some of the biggest names in the industry, aiming to find innovative ways to educate and empower players in terms of the climate crisis, as well as its causes, solutions and personal behaviours that can be adopted to make a difference. It allows game studios to compete with each other, but also collaborate and exchange regularly on the crisis, as well as aligning to make a difference. What changes have you made to get to zero carbon? What changes do you plan to make? Wooga’s journey to zero carbon started with understanding our
carbon footprint. From there, we introduced several initiatives to lower emissions, such as moving over to green electricity, switching bottled water for dispensers, reducing the number of office supply deliveries, working with catering companies that focus on sustainable packaging, and installing light systems with motion sensors in all bathrooms. We are currently working on three focus areas to further reduce our carbon footprint. First, we want to transition the whole office to LED lighting. Second, there is a plan to switch to smart and sustainable office heating. Finally, we’re planning a reduction in business travel. For all other emissions we are not able to eliminate at the moment, we decided to support offsetting projects, made possible with the help of an external partner. On top of all that, we hope to inspire other companies, in and outside the gaming industry, to take a similar route, sharing our journey so far with any business that is ready to start their own. If you had the power to universally mandate one behavioural change, what would it be? I’d make everyone more mindful about their consumption. In a broad sense, this includes what we eat, what we use and what we buy. To continuously ask ourselves: ‘Do we need this? Can we reuse something we already have instead? Can we buy a second-hand item?’ We don’t need half the new gadgets we’re exposed to each day. Being more
mindful about consumption does not mean living a minimalist lifestyle. But ask yourself when you still have a functioning phone: ‘Is it necessary to buy a new one? Do we need to consume meat and dairy each day, or could we limit it to every other day? When we all stand still – thinking a little more often before we eat, use or buy something – we could make a huge difference, without having to do anything crazy or make a large investment. And that would be better for the planet. In the end, it is the sum of each part that matters. Who is your favourite scientist (past or present)? I don’t necessarily have one favourite person, but there are a lot of educational resources for anyone who wants to learn more, irrespective of knowledge. Some of my favourite reads include This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein and The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben. There are also There is so much information – and different types of messaging resonate with each individual. On the road to learning more about sustainability, I am reading, watching and listening to all kinds of content – and from several angles. Those who want to learn more should take some time to approach the topic from different perspectives, discovering what resonates with them best. lots of enjoyable educational shows on Netflix, such as Our Planet and Cowspiracy .
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