Play’s Republic

On this wonderfully most green of days, we all take a moment to think about how to preserve our wonderful non-virtual environment. We go buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. We turn down our thermostat. We even plant trees. Online.

Dell’s presence in Second Life is growing and, as part of a current marketing push, they’ve decided to create a special Earth Day event in world that features, yes, planting virtual saplings on Dell Island. You can specify how fast and large you would like your sapling to grow, and you can click on it and be taken to Dell’s Plant a Tree For Me page, which is really just a marketing blitz to convince potential buyers that their computers are not filled with toxic chemicals. To be fully honest, Dell has done some good in this regard, but Greenpeace is right, I do want more. As an environmentally conscious computer user, planting a virtual tree just makes my eyes bug. I’d prefer to put my money where my carbon footprint is and actually make a difference.