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The Eden Project: Edentakes the Edge into Second Life
(M2 PressWIRE Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)
RDATE:23112007
The Eden Project is bidding for GBP50 million to build its next great
phase, the Edge. From next week, those who want to get a feel for the
groundbreaking new building can do so in the Second Life virtual world.
In real life, the Edge is one of four projects competinginthe Big
Lottery Fund's: the People's GBP50 Million Contest. The winning project
will be decided by a public vote. Internet voting begins on November 26
and after a series of ITV programmes, phone voting is during December
7-10.
The Second Life version of the Edge is Eden's first venture into this
virtual world. It's a groundbreaking move for the project as the
virtual Edge is part of an online presence taking in other popular web
spaces like Facebook, the social network, and YouTube, the
video-sharing website.
Anyone with a suitable computer and broadband internet connection can
sign up free to Second Life. All they have to do is download the
software from secondlife.com and they can visit this version of the
Edge by entering the coordinates SGI184,155,40.
For those who don't play Second Life but still want a virtual trip
through this interpretation of the Edge, Edenis releasing a film on
YouTube (www.youtube.com) showing the virtual Edge in all its glory.
This compliments a number of Edge-themed films already on YouTube,
including testimonies from celebrity supporters such as Ray Mears,
Philippa Forrester, and Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen.
The Edge in Second Life was built in conjunction with
CoventryUniversityand the Serious Games Institute, facilitated and
supported by Cisco Systems.
Howard Jones, Eden's Organisational Development Director, said: "This
is our first exploration of next generation web content.
"Not only that, we believe it is the first time that the major social
network sites have been cross-related so that membership and content
can be shared and given real purpose.
"This is a major step forward and what better purpose than the Edge -
where we have begun to create a simulated world of palm trees, souks,
caverns and meeting places - even spaces where you can watch films or
link to videos about the Edge. In Edenstyle, we have really gone for
this and are venturing into hugely exciting territory.
"The key thing to remember is that this is a bit of fun and an
experiment. The Second Life simulation is just that. It allows people
to explore what might be. To get the first feel for what may be
created, though there is a clear separation between what can be
achieved in a virtual environment and the reality of what we intend to
build for the Edge."
Edenalready has an Edge group on Facebook
(www.edenproject.com/facebook) but has been working with students from
the Universityof Plymouthto create an Edge-themed "virtual pet"
application.
People who add the application will see a green creature on their
profile page which travels between users answering questions about the
Edge. It has artificial intelligence and will learn as it is asked more
questions.
Details and links to the Second Life, Facebook and YouTube contentwill
be posted on Eden's dedicated Edge site at www.theedge.org.
The Edge represents the next great phase at Eden. Its scale and
ambition will make it an international icon of sustainability. The
building will be a model of cutting-edge architecture and technology,
harvesting water and energy from the sun, wind, and rain to show how we
all might live in the future.
It will be a testament to one-planet living, built to the lowest
possible carbon footprint and designed to last. Inside there will be
amazing desert, oasis and water gardens on a scale never attempted
undercover.
Second Life is a 3D virtual world entirely created by its residents.
Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today
is inhabited by nearly ten million people from around the globe.
Notes to editors:
Eden Project Limited is owned by the Eden Trust, which is a fully
registered UK Charity (No. 1093070).
Edenis home to the two biggest greenhouses in the world - the
Rainforest Biome and Mediterranean Biome.
Around 1.2 million visitors come to Edenper year and it has generated
GBP800 million for the local economy.
So far capital funding of GBP135 million to develop Edenhas been raised
from a combination of GBP58 million from the Millennium Commission
Lottery Fund, GBP50 million in regional grants from the South West
Regional Development Agency and Objective One European Regional
Development Fund, and GBP27 million in the form of loans, lease finance
and Eden's own revenue generation.
The Big Lottery Fundrolls out close to GBP2 million in Lottery good
cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery
distributors means that across the UKmost people are within a few miles
of a Lottery-funded project.
The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause
distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education,
environment and charitable causes across the UKsince its inception in
June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
The Eden Project. Home of the Eden Trust. Charity No. 1093070
CONTACT: Ben Foster, Communications Assistant
Tel: +44 (0)1726 818 766
Tel: +44 (0)7813 950 368
e-mail: bfoster@edenproject.com
David Rowe, Head of Press and PR
Tel: +44 (0)1726 811 901
Tel: +44 (0)7813 041 923
e-mail: drowe@edenproject.com
WWW: http;//www.edenproject.com
Big Lottery Fund Press Office
Tel: +44 (0)20 7211 1888
Tel: +44 (0)7867 500 572 (Out of hours)
Public Enquiries Line
Tel: +44 (0)8454 102 030
Tel: +44 (0)8456 021 659 (Textphone)
WWW: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information
provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties.
Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at
http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to
info@m2.com)).
Copyright 2007 M2 Communications Ltd.
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