GBO Hawai'i is the first sustainability themed board game for a mass market audience. Through private sector investment in sustainable businesses, (a field known as impact investing), players are able to help the state of Hawai'i meet its sustainability goals, reducing fossil fuel consumption, advancing the local and organic food movement, and reducing waste generation.
Think monopoly with a sustainability twist!
Game Developer
My colleague, Scott Cooney leveraged his experience as a 3-time eco-entrepreneur and author of Build a Green Small Business: Pro?table Ways to Become an Ecopreneur to develop this sustainability board game. Scott is a sustainability Professor at the University of Hawai'i's Shidler College of Business where he teaches UH's first sustainability curriculum for the MBA program. Scott conducts economic development workshops for municipalities and is the Principal of the GBO Group, a sustainability strategy advisory and business development firm based in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
How the Game Works
Think of yourself as an impact investor looking for the best sustainable businesses to invest in to help Hawaii make the transition from a carbon-based economy to one that is sustainable, clean, and self-sufficient.
You'll be evaluating businesses such as organic farms, geothermal plants, green building companies, solar installers, restaurants, bike shops and more to determine your best investments. Using “resource” cards you'll build out the human resources and business assets you have to get your business investments off the ground.
Along your way around the game board, you'll come across a variety of factors that will make or break your business investments! Think lobbyists, policy changes, current events, permitting issues, and more.
The player with the best Triple Bottom Line score --based on the number of green jobs, the waste eliminated, and the financial profit created by their businesses -- wins the game!
The game is beautifully designed and produced as green as possible given that it's a custom product. You can read more about the back story on the manufacturing choices in the FAQs
Although there are a lot of moving parts to keep track of at first, the game is easy to grasp and moves quickly. You'll have fun and engage your mind at the same time! Enjoy the game with 2-4 players who are 13 years of age or older. Learn how to play by watching the GBO Hawai'i videos
Lesson Plans
Are you a green/sustainability educator – in your professional role or as a volunteer?
Then consider using GBO Hawai'i as a fun way to give your students/employees/participants an interactive way to invest in sustainable ventures while dealing with evolving policies, environmental factors, current events, and lobbyists.
Free downloadable lesson plans are available at GBO Hawaii.com
Tournaments!
The GBO Hawai'i game also lends itself nicely to a tournament format. Imagine gathering colleagues, friends, and students together to play simultaneously!
- Think fundraiser for your non-profit or student group!
- Think team builder for your company or organization.
- Think fun gathering for Earth Day.
The possibilities are endless….what ideas come to mind for you?
Explore the tournament possibilities to explore what this event might look like for you.
Fine print: As one of Scott Cooney's colleagues, I have chosen to promote his game.
As with every green resource I review in this newsletter, I feel strongly that this game has value to you!
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