6.30.2008 - 02:19pm ET

(CSRwire) NEW YORK, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Four-time NBA All-Star LeBron James teams up with Nickelodeon's The Big Green Help pro-social campaign this month in a brand-new online mini-game, LeBron James: Worldwide Big Green Bike-a-thon! that features James himself. Available now on http://www.biggreenhelp.com, players are asked to help a bike-riding LeBron avatar deliver green tips across the globe to rack up points and progress to the next level of play. In addition to the game, James will appear in a The Big Green Help public service announcement (PSA) airing throughout the summer. Designed to empower kids to take action on the environment, Nickelodeon's The Big Green Help multiplatform campaign provides information and tools to help explain climate change to kids, and connect them to energy saving and earth-friendly activities in their everyday lives.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080630/NYM121 )

"Our goal is to make learning about the environment appealing to kids so they can take the lead on this issue," said Marva Smalls, Nickelodeon's Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. "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."

"We all need to be aware of how to take care of the environment," said James. "I'm glad that I can show kids what they can do to help."

Encouraging kids to reduce automobile usage and curb CO2 emissions, LeBron James: Worldwide Big Green Bike-a-thon! is the second in the campaign's series of customized mini-games leading up to the centerpiece of The Big Green Help -- the first global green online multiplayer game for kids, launching in December. In the global game, players will work to "virtually" lower the Earth's CO2 levels and will be challenged to pledge volunteer hours toward creating a healthy environment in their homes, schools or communities. The game also will incorporate The Big Green Help's main themes: Slow the Flow, educating kids on how to curtail the waste of energy and natural resources; Recycle and Pre-Cycle, encouraging the use of items that can be recycled; Grow the Green, which teaches kids how to create a greener planet; and the current theme, Curb the Car.

Nickelodeon has teamed up with a number of key partners for The Big Green Help who are helping to extend the campaign's reach through local grassroots activities and programs 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.

Kids are already stepping up to participate in The Big Green Help. Since its April 19 launch, more than 6.5 million game plays have been generated by SpongeBob & Patrick: Dirty Bubble Busters, the campaign's first mini-game to be introduced. The game has remained the most popular on http://www.nick.com. for four consecutive weeks.

Online, Nick.com's The Big Green Help website, http://www.biggreenhelp.com, serves as an educational, fun homebase for kids about the environment and will add new elements throughout June and July. Nicktropolis (http://www.nicktropolis.com), Nickelodeon's virtual community, will launch a scavenger hunt where kids will be encouraged to find recyclable items. Daily tips and a glossary of terms coinciding with the campaign's current theme of Curb the Car will also be made available online.

Nickelodeon is a global voice for kids and has a legacy of addressing important issues that affect their lives. The Big Help pro-social campaign, a CTAM Hall of Fame inductee, inspired a generation of more than 40 million kid volunteers pledging 383 volunteer hours. Its Let's Just Play campaign motivated more than one million kids to get out and play during Nick's annual Worldwide Day of Play and 500,000 kids to pledge to live healthier lifestyles through the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge. Nick's health and wellness initiatives have recently launched in France and Italy, joining long time international efforts in the UK, Holland, Australia and South East Asia.

For more information, visit http://www.thebiggreenhelppress.com.

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

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