Santa Climate is Comin’ to Town!
Belmont, MA
2022, Senior, Interactive & Multimedia
Project Description: Help Santa save this year’s Christmas from climate change! He’s getting ready to deliver all his presents, but the same issues threatening marine life might make this classic journey impossible. Follow Santa’s story and assist him in four interactive mini-games:
Game 1: A melting ice cap has ruined Santa’s stack of organized presents. Help him sort everything by size.
Game 2: Now severe weather has struck Santa’s carrot fields, forcing him to scavenge elsewhere to feed his reindeer. Use the arrow keys to drive Santa’s sleigh around the map and pick up carrots and gain energy.
Game 3: With everything in place, Santa departs the North Pole. However, the factories have been producing lots of smog. Use the mouse to fly through the air while avoiding smog clouds.
Game 4: With simply too much smog in the air, Santa decides to lower his sleigh closer to the water. But the sea is so full of trash that it keeps getting tangled in his sled. Help him remove all the pieces before they hit the sled by clicking on them.
View StorylineReflection
There are many media portrayals about how Christmas was almost ruined by a lack of spirit and belief, but very rarely do we consider the disastrous impact of global warming on Santa’s famous journey. I thought it would be humorous to view the effects of anthropogenic climate change through a traditional “saving Christmas” story, while also containing important educational aspects that reflect reality. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, Americans throw away 25% more trash than any other time of the year, most of which ends up polluting our oceans and killing wildlife. For younger children, I think my project will inspire awareness to protect the environment at an early age, especially since kids are so careful to behave well for the sake of receiving Christmas gifts.