Sustainability The Game
By Mike Mankiewicz
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Photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash
Maintaining a sustainable or minimalist lifestyle involves focusing on essential aspects while reducing unnecessary consumption.
Here are four key categories that are important for such a lifestyle.
Mindful Consumption
Being conscious of what you buy and use is crucial.
Opt for high-quality items that last longer, reduce single-use products, and prioritize necessities over impulse purchases.
Waste Reduction
Minimize waste by practicing recycling and reusing items whenever possible.
Energy Efficiency
Embrace energy-efficient practices such as using LED lighting, turning off appliances when not in use, and investing in energy-saving devices.
Sustainable Choices
Make sustainable choices in food, transportation, and everyday habits.
This includes opting for locally sourced and organic foods, using public transportation or carpooling, and adopting eco-friendly habits like reducing water usage and supporting ethical brands.
Viewing it with a Slight Twist
You can contribute to a more sustainable and minimalist lifestyle by focusing on these categories.
A fun way to focus on those categories is with a DIY card game. Half the fun is creating your own rules!
Sustainable Living Card Game
Objective
The objective of the game is to score points by playing sets of cards that represent sustainable living choices, with each set consisting of one Spade (mindful consumption), one Heart (waste reduction), one Club (sustainable choices), and one Diamond (energy efficiency).
Setup
- Shuffle and cut the 54-card deck (standard 52 cards plus 2 jokers). Deal five cards to each player.
- Deal 10 cards face down to the side (these cards are not used for this round).
- Place the rest of the deck in the middle as the draw deck and flip the top card to start the discard pile.
Gameplay
- Players take turns starting with the dealer. On a player’s turn, they can:
Draw one card from the draw deck or the top card from the discard pile.
Play a Sustainable Living Group (one card from each suit: Spade, Heart, Club, Diamond) representing sustainable living choices. These cards are laid face up on the table.
At the end of their turn, players are required to discard a card if they have more than five cards in their hand. Discarding is optional if they have five or fewer cards. A discarded card is placed face up and is now the top card of the discard pile.
The game continues until one player has no cards left in their hand after discarding at the end of their turn or until the draw pile is exhausted, and neither player wishes to take the top card from the discard pile.
Scoring
Players score 10 points for each completed set of cards (one Spade, one Heart, one Club, one Diamond) representing sustainable living choices laid down during the game.
Points are deducted for the cards remaining in a player’s hand at the end of the game:
- 4 points deducted for each remaining Spade.
- 3 points deducted for each remaining Heart.
- 2 points deducted for each remaining Club.
- 1 point deducted for each remaining Diamond.
The player with the highest total score (points from completed sets minus points deducted for remaining cards) wins the round.
Winning!
You can choose to score by rounds or keep a running total of points until someone achieves a predetermined score. The choice is yours, just like the sustainable choices you can make, so we all end up winning.
This set of rules provides a comprehensive framework for playing the Sustainable Living Cards game, encouraging strategic decision-making and sustainable living choices throughout the gameplay.
Now, here’s your challenge!
Find a common item around your house that you can repurpose into a fun learning tool to remember the key categories of a sustainable lifestyle.
Thank you for reading!
If you enjoyed this article, stay tuned for more exciting content. Whether it’s budget-friendly sustainable entertainment ideas, movie-themed adventures, or creative recipes, there’s always something new and engaging waiting for you here!
