The rapid growth of virtual worlds for education and social interaction provides a venue where we can model a wide variety of real life environmental technologies and concepts at a very low cost. A successful example is Linden Lab’s Second Life Grid which has 450,000 visitors per week out of a total “resident” population of 14 million. Abraham Paiss & Associates Senior Partner Zev Paiss is the founder and developer of a virtual 32-acre Eco-Village called Etopia on Second Life. Zev regularly teaches classes on sustainable topics for Etopia residents and uses the Village as a educational and marketing tool for real life businesses and public classrooms.
Visitors to Etopia experience what it is like to live, work and play in a realistic to-scale representation of a sustainable village. The Village demonstrates examples of sustainable design, renewable energy production, integrated land use, human-scaled development, plus an active ongoing offering of classes, concerts and activities per week. This pioneering eco-village has produced an active and involved community of residents and business owners. Etopia Island is an experiential educational and marketing concept designed to demonstrate real world social and environmental stewardship values and promote both virtual and real world products, skills and services. Examples of non-profit organizations, educational institutions and for-profit businesses which have a presence on Etopia Island include: Sustainable Harvest International, Tufts University’s Experimental Economics Lab, EnergyTeachers.org, Carbon Offset Exchange, Oshara Village, HeatSaver Thermal Shades, India’s Madhuvana Estate, AeroGrow International, and others.
