City of Cape Town, in partnership with the Two Oceans Aquarium, opened the Smart Living Challenge Zone at the aquarium to encourage resource efficiency in a fun and interactive way.
The new interactive zone is an exciting initiative to educate children and adults alike on making smarter choices to preserve and protect the environment.
The Smart Living Challenge Zone at the Two Oceans Aquarium boasts four digital interactive installations addressing the themes of energy, water, waste and biodiversity.
• The energy exhibit, which consists of a 3D city-scape onto which various scenarios are projected. Users will learn about the different types of power generation including solar, wind, coal and nuclear. They will then be challenged to make choices around, among others, lighting, cooking and heating as well as the design of an energy-efficient home
• The biodiversity exhibit shows visitors how their actions, both positive and negative, impact on an ecosystem. A local context, namely the Cape Floral Region, has been chosen and species associated with this region will appear or disappear from the ecosystem as users indicate their choices. Some of the negative issues addressed in this exhibit include illegal dumping, planting invasive species, and discarding burning cigarettes into the environment. Positive actions include composting, planting indigenous species, avoiding toads and frogs on roads, and buying organic food
• The waste installation encourages visitors to consider the packaging associated with various items and to become aware of how their shopping choices contribute to the production of waste which ends up at landfill sites. Household items, including laundry detergent, drain cleaner, paper plates, gift wrapping paper, disposable nappies and batteries are some of the items which visitors will scan in order to learn about smarter choices which are better for the environment and ultimately for humans as well
• The water touch screen challenges visitors to answer a series of multiple choice questions in order to stop leaking pipes and dripping taps in an animated plumbing system. A virtual water container on one side will fill up with saved water and the goal is to fix as many leaks simultaneously so the water savings tank fills up to the top. It will require multiple visitors to work as a team to win the game
‘The Smart Living Challenge Zone is an exciting project with fun, interactive installations which allow visitors to visualise and experience the impact that their decisions, both positive and negative, can potentially have on the environment. The messaging has purposefully been kept simple so that children are able to understand and apply these environmental principles. Our hope is that when adults and children leave the zone, they will feel challenged to think differently about their decisions and in turn be encouraged and equipped to make smarter choices, which will contribute to the protection and preservation of our environment,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Environmental and Spatial Planning, Councillor Johan van der Merwe.
The Smart Living Challenge Zone will complement the Smart Living education programmes which the aquarium’s Environmental Education Centre is running.
These include courses for Grade 7 learners (four courses have been completed) as well as a travelling exhibit which visits schools. A puppet show, ‘I live smart’, with complementary puppet story book has also been developed to teach younger children about the principles of smart living.
The Two Oceans Aquarium has successfully collaborated with the City on a number of prominent environmental education initiatives including the Children’s Puppet Theatre which opened in 2003 and ran until 2007 and the ‘Frogs Beyond the Pond’ exhibit which opened in 2008 and closed recently this year.
Visit the aquarium so that you can become engaged and informed to make responsible decisions that will contribute to the conservation and protection of our environment.
WHERE: Two Oceans Aquarium, Dock Rd, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 8002
Photo Credit: Bruce Sutherland l City of Cape Town
