Southern Environmental Organization Releases Packaging Man Video Game; New Environmental Twist on the Classic Video Game
Asheville, NC " This morning, Dogwood Alliance launched an environmentally themed video game, Packaging Man, to raise awareness about the destructive impact fast food paper packaging has on Southern forests. The game which is a new take on the classic video game, Pac-Man, follows the exploits of the hero Packaging Man as he works to save forest creatures by collecting excessive packaging and recycling it, all the while avoiding the “evil” fast food corporate executives.
“Our fast food lifestyle is burying us in an avalanche of excessive packaging and waste,” said Scot Quaranda, Campaign Director for Dogwood Alliance. “Rising from this giant pile of waste, our hero Packaging Man has emerged to take on the Packaging monsters.”
The production of fast food packaging drives the continued destruction of Southern forests, the largest paper producing region in the world. Paper companies like International Paper (NYSE: IP) are clear-cutting forests, including some of the most special forests like the endangered wetland forests of the mid-Atlantic coast in Virginia and North Carolina to make fast food packaging. Major customers of the big packaging mills of this region include packaging include McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), Arby’s (NYSE: TRY), Wendy’s (NYSE: WEN), and YUM! Brands corporate parent of KFC and Taco Bell.
“Southern forests, the jewel of the American landscape, are being destroyed to bring you fried chicken, burgers and fries, and super-sized convenience in a glut of wrappers, boxes and cups,” continued Quaranda. “Join the fun and help our hero Packaging Man escape from the corporate evil-doers, recycle all of that excess packaging, and protect our Southern forests.”
Excessive fast food packaging waste is a serious problem in North America:
--Fast food packaging makes up 20% of all litter.
--15 percent of the landfill mass--as much as 30 million tons a year--is food packaging.
--83% of the packaging used for food and drink is made of some form of paper or other wood-fiber material.
--The average person in the U.S. produces 300 lbs of packaging waste each year
“We developed this game in order to reach out to a whole new audience and engage and educate them about an important range of environmental issues,” stated Quaranda. “We believe that everyone from Generation Y to armchair activists will love this game. We are proud of this achievement and hope slacktivists from across the world will join Packaging Man in the fight!”
To join the fun, play Packaging Man at: http://www.nofreerefills.org/files/packman/packman.html