Saving our planet, one game at a time

Tennille Alleyne
Published: 7 Mar 2010

Most of us grew up playing Pictionary or Monopoly on family game night, but 56-year-old Barbara Chandler-Bridgewater offers a refreshing new board game for today’s youth called River Lime. The retired vice principal of Five Rivers Secondary and current Life Skills Coordinator at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, was always an environmentalist at heart. “The idea came to me while developing the life skills physical environmental unit. I was always disturbed by the amount of litter and flooding in Port-of-Spain. “This really pushed me to do something more tangible to make a difference in the way people treated the environment.”

Chandler-Bridgewater creates activities for her trainees so coming up with an educational board game with a local twist seemed like the natural option. When asked about the title she said, “There’s a cultural connotation to the name River Lime. Plus all the trash ends up in the river.” Chandler-Bridgewater, who conceived the idea in December 2008, started working feverishly to make it a reality. Her dream was realised in June 2009. “I didn’t really share the idea with anybody but my three children,” she said. Cards and Bristol board chips were used in the preliminary stages while her children developed the knowledge and graphics component. “The packaging of the game was done locally and the printed cards, bags, chips and timers were done abroad,” said Chandler-Bridgewater. The game, which caters to individuals from at least eight years old, is a timely innovation given the plethora of environmental issues facing the world today. “It is an opportunity for children to read and expand their imagination. It also enhances the bonding between parents and their children, and also opens the door for discussions on environmental issues,” said Chandler-Bridgewater, who believes that River Lime helps parents do their part in improving environmental sustainability. She added that the game was featured at CHOGM last year because of its potential to deal with issues on climate change, and was showcased to a number of people around the world. River Lime has also been approved by the Ministry of Education for its use in schools. Although the game has been purchased by some private schools and public institutions such as Nalis and WASA, Chandler-Bridgewater is still determined to have it distributed on a wider scale in schools. “Unless it gets into the schools, it would not have a real impact. So that’s my wish. I’m trying to get sponsorship so that the game can get into the school system.” Since its official launch, River Lime has gained overwhelming praise for its innovation. “My trainees have responded well to the game even when we played using the Bristol board. I have exposed it to both young and old and the feedback has all been positive.” While she is still lobbying for wider distribution, River Lime can be found at Academics Plus (St Augustine), Toymart (Valpark) and Ezra’s Trading Limited (Maloney Shopping Mall). Interested persons can also visit the Web site Source: www.riverlimegame.com for more details. For Bridgewater, her aim is simple. “I want to move people and to impact their decisions pertaining to the environment so that their actions will be positive and not negative.” Source: http://guardian.co.tt/features/woman-magazine/2010/03/07/saving-our-planet-one-game-time