Minecraft Sustainability City Map Helps Gamers Become Better Stewards Of Mother Earth

Mojang has created a new world called the Sustainability City, and it helps students to get a better grasp on all sorts of green initiatives including clean power generation, sustainable homes, and "responsible forestry" among other things. "We’re hoping that students will gain the skills to look around them and realize that the fight against climate change and habitat loss isn’t impossible—building a sustainable future actually empowers the economy and quality of life," writes the Minecraft team. 

With respect to lessons on alternative energy generation, there are wind turbines in the world along with a hydropower plant. Students will be able to use a minecart to traverse across power lines leading from each of these energy sources to see how power is distributed through the city.

There are lessons on sustainable homes (using materials that help contribute to overall efficiency); sustainable forests (including learning about what the lifecycle of a forest looks like); and about the flow of water out of your home, to a water treatment plant and back into your home. On that last lesson, students can navigate down the drain of a kitchen sink and follow the pipes into the sewer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle style. Teachers can find the individual Sustainability City lessons right here. 

Microsoft's (and Mojang's) end goal by providing these tools through Minecraft Education Edition is empower students to "seek out sustainable solutions and build eco-friendly habits in their everyday lives." We think that's a noble mission and one that could have long-lasting effects on how future generations manage and take care of this third rock from the sun.