Rovio, Earth Day Network and their partners are challenging Angry Birds players of the world to champion the environment and fight climate change inChampions for Earth, a weeklong tournament on Angry Birds Friends. The tournament begins 21 September and coincides with Climate Week in New York City.
The first to sign up as Champions for Earth are Don Cheadle and Ian Somerhalder, both of whom are Goodwill Ambassadors for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), as well as fellow actors Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, and the members of Korean pop sensation VIXX. In the course of gameplay, the Champions invite Angry Birds players to compete against them on the leaderboard, share facts about climate change and encourage fans to take action.
The Champions for Earth also star in a video, narrated by Christiana Figueres, the UN’s top climate official and head of the UN Climate Convention (UNFCCC), where they show why they’re angry about climate change. She says:
The star studded line up in Champions for Earth — including some super famous feathered and porcine friends — affords a unique and potentially powerful opportunity to build awareness and support among fans for an historic new climate agreement in Paris in December.
Proceeds from the tournament go toward the Earth Day Network’s Canopy Project, a global effort to plant one billion new trees in the next five years in the communities that need them most.
“We are angry about climate change – not least because of global warming’s impact on habitat for thousands of species including ourselves and of course birds,” says Blanca Juti, Rovio’s Chief Brand Officer. “By getting angry together with our fans and partners around the globe, we have a chance to make our voices heard and spur positive change,” adds Edvard Groundstroem, Executive Producer of Champions for Earth.
“Utilizing such an enormous and compelling gaming platform provides us with a dynamic way to communicate with a broader group of people globally,” says Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “Mobile gaming is an excellent way to engage stakeholders and drive a call to action amongst millennials and the next generation. Our partnership with Rovio is delivering a huge spotlight on climate change ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris which begins at the end of November.”
During the tournament and game, players will learn about climate change through climate fact cards developed with climate experts from NASA, NOAA, Yale, USC, The White House, the Smithsonian and others, and will be available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Korean. Players will be encouraged to take action via Earth Day Network’s online engagement platform, where they are able to sign a massive climate petition, courtesy of the Climate Reality Project, tweet at their elected officials, share their passion with an #angryaboutclimatechange selfie, and more.
Other cooperation partners in Champions for Earth include the UNFCCC, UNEP, water.org, the documentary series Years of Living Dangerously, and Connect4Climate, a Global Partnership Program of the World Bank.
To tweet about the tournament, use the hashtag #AngryAboutClimateChange
