July 2007 | Green Scene

Be a Force of Nature

Children are natural collectors, and playing cards are as old as civilization. That’s the basic idea behind Xeko, an eco-trading card game that launched on Earth Day 2006 (www.xeko.com).

Xeko features rare, collectable cards in the vein of Pokemon. But in this game, the gorgeous cards are printed with soy ink on 100 percent post consumer recycled paper — and the determining factor for card rarity is based on the animal’s endangered status. One of the scarcest cards, the hairy-eared dwarf lemur, is so imperiled that scientists once considered it extinct. In game play, cards link together to create an ecosystem. Each animal has different properties that children can put to use in “turf wars.” Xeko rewards strategy: it’s possible to lose every turf war and still win the game. And while most collectable card games are more appealing to boys, Xeko’s animal artwork appeals to both genders equally. The cards are printed on 100% recycled post-consumer paper using soy ink, and the packaging is similarly eco-conscious.
Xeko creator Amy Tucker hopes that lessons learned while having fun will create positive change for years to come: “I like to believe the next E.O. Wilson is playing Xeko. I hope that our next great thought leaders are playing this game.”

— Paul Constant