Calling All Kids! Emerald Island Celebrates Earth Day by Inviting Kids to do Good

In honor of Earth Day 2009, green-themed, eco-friendly children's MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game Emerald Island invites kids to make a difference in the Earth's ecology. For every new "eco-hero" that subscribes to the game, developer Fluid Entertainment, in partnership with Trees for the Future, will plant 10 trees in the real world, so players can see their in-game eco-activities make a difference on planet Earth. In conjunction with this initiative, Emerald Island's in-game Earth Day celebrations include new quests and activities that offer young activists the opportunity for fun and adventure, while doing good.

Kids enter Emerald Island and create their own unique zany animal avatar. They soon learn from the island's inhabitants that the Pirats, a band of polluting, pillaging rodents, have set their sights on Emerald Island as the next land to plunder. Kids are tasked with the challenge to 'Help Save Emerald Island' from the Pirats, with the goal of protecting and saving this pristine virtual world in need. By thwarting the Pirat's efforts, kids become eco-heroes in the game, and in turn, gain insight into the Earth's environmental challenges, while learning conservation tips that they can incorporate into their every day lives.

This Earth Day and beyond, the wacky inhabitants of Emerald Island provide players with useful green tips, such as urging players to use both sides of the paper to save trees. These real world 'green tips' inform gamers about how planting, conserving and recycling can all increase the quality of the environment – in Emerald Island, as well as on planet Earth. Other Earth Day festivities include a series of green adventures that introduce children to the island's endangered species, and help them gain an understanding of how they themselves can help. From encouraging habitat restoration and preservation for endangered tigers and the mountain gorilla, to replanting a forest that has been destroyed by the Pirats, these in-game quests are designed to give kids the opportunity to learn about and participate in the solutions of the environmental challenges facing Emerald Island – and the Earth—in a fun, always changing environment.

In a series of more than 40 plant related quests activities, Fluid Entertainment continues their partnership with Trees for the Future (www.treesftf.org), an organization dedicated to sustainable agroforestry and to helping communities around the world plant trees. For Earth Day, Emerald Island introduces new quests in partnership with this organization that will increase knowledge and appreciation of a vast variety of plant species and trees. Translating children's in-game environmentalism into real-world impact, Fluid Entertainment will donate 10 trees to Trees for the Future, for every new subscription.

Emerald Island is ESRB rated "E" for Everyone. For more information, please visit www.emeraldisland.com.