Nickelodeon has brought four-time NBA All-Star LeBron James on board for a plan to encourage kids to help the environment. The Big Green campaign is aimed at showing children small differences they can make in their lives that can reduce carbon emissions and other environmental issues.

The main focus of the campaign is a website, The Big Green Help. The site includes a number of resources:

• Daily green tips
• Glossary
• Green quizzes
• Videos
• Partners and links

Kids also can play a number of games, featuring such stars as SpongeBob SquarePants, the Naked Brothers Band and, yes, LeBron James himself. James’ game allows players to direct the basketball star’s avatar in delivering green tips while riding a bicycle.

The site provides tools for children to share stories of how they are going green through forums and video upload tools. Marva Small, Nickelodeon’s Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, says that the site is meant to connect kids to the environment through fun: "Our goal is to make learning about the environment appealing to kids so they can take the lead on this issue. We've already seen that kids are responding to the campaign on our digital platforms, and having positive role models like LeBron James participate will only help to forward The Big Green Help mission."

James will also be helping Nickelodeon out with promoting the site. He is appearing in a public service announcement for the Big Green Help, which will be airing all summer long. "We all need to be aware of how to take care of the environment," he says. "I'm glad that I can show kids what they can do to help."

The Big Green Help was launched on April 19, with the SpongeBob SquarePants game as its first mini-feature (James’ game is the second). The launch was timed to coincide with Earth Day, but the website is intended to be a long-term project. Since the launch, SpongeBob’s game has been played more than 6.5 million times.

Nickelodeon teamed with a variety of groups to produce the site, including the LeBron James Family Foundation; the National Wildlife Federation; the Natural Resources Defense Council; NFL; The Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Girl Scouts of the USA; National 4-H Council; and ERTHNXT. Nickelodeon has had success with a number of programs encouraging viewers to become social responsible, including encouraging kids to volunteer their time. The TV channel also runs programming relating to environmentalism, such as Nick News: A Global Warning from the Kids of the World.

Image — Nickelodeon