eWell being Awards 2007 - Highly Commended

DingDing was highly commended in this years eWell being Awards held at the Globe theatre in London.

SustainIT’s eWell-Being Awards 2006/07 has once again uncovered ground breaking projects that use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to deliver environmental and social benefits. A school using a points reward system to ensure pupils choose healthy food options; an eco-friendly media centre that has walls made from straw, an ‘intelligent’ plug and a website that aims to get children to use public transport are among the 29 projects short-listed.

The eWell-Being Awards, now in their fifth year, are sponsored by BT, Brother, AOL, I&DeA, Digital Challenge, JB Associates and PC Pro magazine with The Independent as national media partner. They are the UK’s first and only awards to focus on ICT projects which deliver tangible environmental and social benefits. More than 150 entries were received for the Awards this year and 29 projects made the shortlist.

The Independent reported:
Developed by Manchester digital multimedia agency Stardotstar, DingDing is the first of two commended entries in theClimate Change & Environmental Efficiency category.

DingDing is an educational website designed to promote
public transport to children through online and offline educational activities. Developed in partnership with the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport
Executive (GMPTE), which also funds the project, the aim of the website is to counter-balance the negative messages about public transport that children receive.

Closely aligned with the national curriculum, DingDing isaimed at children at key stages 1, 2 and 3 (five to 14 years old). It provides learning through game-like
modules and lesson plans based on a public transport theme – from route planning and environmental issues, through to behavioural issues, road safety, travel training and, shortly, school travel plans. “It is part of a long-term solution to a long-term problem – to counter negative perceptions of public transport delivered to children through media, parents and peers,” explains Gerard O’Brien,director of Stardotstar.

Launched in 2003, the project grew out GMPTE’s desire to increase their engagement withchildren, who were often excluded from traditional methods of public consultation, such as public meetings, and yet were regular public
transport users. It offers users a range of fun activities and educational
games that support teachers with free national curriculum-friendly content, in a way that is specifically designed to give children (and their families) the knowledge to explore public transport and to question society’s reliance on the car, before they themselves are sucked into it.

EWell Being Awards

Last updated:10.04.2007