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September 29, 2010
Property on Vancouver Island, only $375
Posted by Nola Poirier
My father spent most of last Friday night trapped in the landfill. I didn't try to help him out. I was too busy purchasing spectacular B.C. real estate from places like the Bella Coola Valley, and the Pacific Rim. Oh yeah, and then at the end of the night, I became British Columbia's Team Power Smart Champion.
How?, you may ask.
By building Power Smart homes on all my properties and drawing a lot of Energy Saver cards while playing the new Team Power Smart Edition of Earthopoly.
One of the perks of life as a freelance writer with multiple clients (besides working from home and walking along ocean side bluffs in the middle my work day) is that I often get to do fun things and then write about them. I've been assigned to raft down the Taku River, attend music festivals, practise yoga, have dinner in San Francisco, and last week I got to play Team Power Smart Earthopoly.
My parents arrived for the weekend, after a 10-hour journey from the Okanagan. I greeted them with dinner, some homemade blackberry wine, and a spirited game of Earthopoly, Team Power Smart Edition, exclusively available to Team Power Smart members for $19.99 or less.
Power Smart Earthopoly is kind of like Monopoly, except instead of trying to buy up a city, the object is to become a Power Smart champion. You get money from things like charging rent for Power Smart homes and green hotels on your properties and knowing the answer to green quiz questions: 'Which appliance uses the most energy in most Canadian homes?' (The answer is the refrigerator).
You pay fines for energy wasting activities like leaving your computer, monitor and printer on, taking long showers, and not having joined Team Power Smart. And instead of going to jail, you go to the landfill.
But the property deeds are my favourite part of the game. Each location is a place in British Columbia, even the utilities. And each deed gives some facts about the location: 'Haida Gwaii means "Islands of the People" and consists of 150 islands,' as well as a Go Green tip, like: 'Self clean your oven while it's still hot. You'll use less energy than starting with a cold oven.'
The rules explain how to play a one-hour version as well as the full, traditional game. We decided on a full game and it soon became a highly animated contest.
I purchased three of B.C.'s mountain ranges – the Rockies, the Cascades, and the Coast Mountains and some great valleys including the Okanagan, the Fraser, and the Bella Coola. I also purchased Haida Gwaii, Tumbler Ridge and the Sunshine Coast, and put Power Smart homes on all of them.
It took some skill, some luck, and some rule bending side trades, until finally I ended up on top of my family's low energy use.
How do I get this game?
Earthopoly, Team Power Smart Edition, is available at select London Drugs locations in B.C. and, for Team Power Smart members, includes a limited-time offer to get a $10 gift card.
Join Team Power Smart log in to your Members' Tool Box for more details.
Nola Poirier is a Powell River-based freelance writer and regular contributor to Unplug This Blog! and the bchydro.com Green Guides.
