Animated Polar Bear in Distress Pleads With Dartmouth Students to Save Energy

Students from a digital-art class and an environmental club equipped two dorms at Dartmouth College with monitors showing real-time details of electricity use in the buildings. An animated polar bear reacts to the level of power use — and when too many students turn their TV’s on or leave their lights on, the ice cracks and the bear falls through. Watch The Chronicle’s video report below to see how the virtual bear fared on a recent afternoon. —Jeffrey R. Young