Schoolchildren designed Sustainable Espoo 2040 worlds in Minecraft

In April 2024, pupils in Espoo were challenged to design their own Sustainable Espoo 2040 world in Minecraft. The aim of the challenge was to increase the awareness of schoolchildren about the themes of sustainable development. The challenge took advantage of all the dimensions of sustainable development: ecological, economic, social and cultural. The goals are based on the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN and the City of Espoo and on the curriculum.

The challenge had three categories: grades 1–3, grades 4–6 and grades 7–9. Each age bracket had specific sustainable development goals that had to be built into the Minecraft world. The challenge was also used as an introduction to game education and the world of e-sports.

Games are a central part of the media and popular culture for children and young people. Gaming is a fun activity for children and young people that strengthens self-esteem by providing new discoveries and experiences of success.

“In games, we often also work in communities and learn common rules. Games are played in different languages, and the development of language skills is one of the proven benefits of gaming. In Minecraft, creativity and spatial perception play an important role,” says Minna Kukkonen, pedagogical specialist in learning technology at the City of Espoo.

In the Sustainable Espoo 2040 competition, a panel of judges comprised of experts working for the City of Espoo selected the winners from among the wonderful worlds. The winners received tickets to Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre, and all participants were awarded diplomas for their excellent work.

The series for grades 1–3 was won by the world of Perkkaan koulu comprehensive school, Dream City. According to the panel of judges, their entry was truly extensive and took the goals assigned into account very well. The world was skilfully built and the portfolio had been invested in. The surrounding world was wonderfully depicted, and future solutions were also envisioned from the viewpoint of sustainable development. The world only used electric cars to get around, had many types of services and took into account responsible consumption. The world was created by Mohannad Albloywy, who built his winning entry alone.

“I took part in the challenge because I want to make the future better. I told my father about the challenge, and he signed me up. During the challenge, I spent a lot of time looking for information on what a sustainable city is like,” says Mohannad.

The series for grades 4–6 was won by the world of Ruusutorpan koulu comprehensive school, Espoo 2040. According to the panel of judges, the world was truly diverse and took the Sustainable Development Goals into account very nicely. The entry stood out with its great innovations, such as green walls and accessibility solutions. It also showed great construction skills, and the portfolio was very good.

The series for grades 7–9 was won by the world of Nöykkiön koulu lower secondary school, Paam.mcworld. According to the panel of judges, the entry was really extensive and took excellent account of all the required goals. The world was very creatively built and included many quite innovative solutions for the future. Traffic arrangements were widely displayed and there was many kinds of sustainable infrastructure in the entry. The panel of judges gave special praise for solar cell lights, the recycling centre and bottle return system.

The winning entry of Nöykkiön koulu lower secondary school was built by a group of classmates. The wonderful entry was the work of Max Ruutu, Patrik Breucha, Amos Pihko and Anton Pakarinen, who joined the challenge inspired by their biology teacher.

“The easiest part of the challenge was the game itself, because Minecraft was a familiar childhood hit game for all of us. We have also studied development goals on several occasions over the years, although we are still a long way from achieving them. The most difficult part of the challenge was coming up with ideas and allocating time to different projects,” said the winners of the lower secondary school series.

The panel of judges also awarded an honourable mention to the world of Ruusutorpan koulu comprehensive school, Merellinen Espoo (“Maritime Espoo”). The judges praised the fine narrative of the story and the clarity of the portfolio. The world stood out positively from other entries and highlighted different perspectives on sustainable development well. The panel of judges gave special praise for the magnificent rainbow stairs and multi-species building.

“Protecting the environment and nature conservation were familiar things in themselves, but I came to consider various aspects of sustainable development, such as cultural and transport-related issues, more diversely a result of the challenge,” says Ruska Oranen, who created the Maritime Espoo world.

In addition to the panel of judges consisting of experts, another panel of general upper secondary school students from Espoo selected its favourite competition entries. The students’ favourite in the grades 1–3 series was won by the world of Perkkaan koulu comprehensive school, Dream City. In the series of grades 4–6, they chose Lakelandia – Vedyllä onnea elämään (“Lakelandia – Happiness through Hydrogen”) as their favourite. The series for grades 7–9 was won by the world of Kaitaan koulu lower secondary school, Espoo 2040.

The Sustainable Espoo 2040 competition has also attracted interest beyond the borders of Finland. Experts from the City of Espoo will give a presentation on the competition to their colleagues from the Union of Baltic Cities at the training conference in Riga this autumn.

The children and young people who participated hoped for a continuation of the challenge. Now, the Growth and Learning Sector is pleased to invite all comprehensive school pupils in Espoo to participate in the Sustainable Espoo 2040 competition again next spring to brainstorm and build a better future.

“I would say that you should boldly go and get started; it will go on from there and you come up with new things,” says Ruska Oranen, who received an honourable mention, encouraging the future participants of the competition.