GBO Hawai’i Classroom
Sustainability, policy, business and FUN!
Sustainability & Economics Lesson Plan: Grades 9-12, College 1/2.
Introduction
Sustainability is the great buzzword of our time. It’s aclassic win-win, and it seems that everyone’s on board.Yet, progress falls short of its potential, possibly becausethere is so much confusion about how to go about thisgrand vision. GBO Hawai’i is a new board game that iseducational, inspirational, and most importantly, fun.This lesson plan helps students understand sustainabilityfrom a business perspective as well as a civil one.
EDUCATION
Materials
1.GBO Hawai’i, the green economy board game: up to four players can play at a time.2.Slide deck, downloadable at GBOHawaii.com, to accompany this lesson plan
Time
1.A one-hour class session for “Engage”, 2-3 one-hour class sessions for “Explore” and“Explain”. The game can be then used again and again--learning outcomes will varydepending on the roll of the dice and the appearance of a variety of cards.
Vocabulary
(Green glossary online atwww.GreenBusinessOwner.com)Sustainability Zero waste GMOEcotourism Biofuels Green Building/LEED CertificationOrganic Geothermal Renewable EnergyClean Tech Energy Efficiency Sustainable Food
Objectives & Expected Learning Outcomes
1.Learn about the role of governments in (at times) promoting or (at times) discouragingsustainability initiatives such as clean technologies, smart growth, energy efficientinfrastructure, economic development and green job development.2.Understand the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics needed for embarking ona green career path.3.Learn about public policy from local municipalities, states and the federal government.4.Understand geography and place-based resources.5.Gain entrepreneurship and business skills including allocation of limited resources,competitive strategies, recognition of opportunities, and calculation of return on investment.6.See the difference between traditional business,with its singular focus on the financialbottom line, and the green economy, which has societal, public health, and environmentalbenefits in addition to financial ones.
Copyright 2012, GreenBusinessOwner.com. All rights reserved.
Background for the teacher
The island state of Hawai’i makes a tremendous learning laboratory for sustainable economicdevelopment. The state has abundant renewable potential: ample sunshine, consistent tradewinds, geothermal activity, and a tropical climate that allows for year-round agriculture. Yetdespite these resources, the state’s policies over the last 50 years have left it as a metaphoricalcanary in a coal mine for globalized economies. The state imports 90% of its food. It burnsimported diesel fuel for 90% of its electricity, and its number one export, according to GovernorNeil Abercrombie, is cash spent on foreign oil. Due to geographic constrictions and policiesthat have discouraged recycling and composting, landfill space is extremely limited, so the stateburns most of its trash, generating dioxins and other carcinogenic pollution. And perhaps mosttroubling, the state’s economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism and military spending,both of which are dependent on cheap oil. The service economy that results also leaves theaverage Hawai’ian citizen completely out of range of home ownership as many service industry jobs simply don’t pay a living wage.Hawai’i has committed to one of the most aggressive sustainability journeys of any geopoliticalentity. By 2050, the state aims to derive 70% of its power from clean, renewable sources.Significant resources are being put forth to develop an agricultural renaissance. And statewide,single-use plastics are under attack from citizens, consumer groups, businesses, andmunicipalities. The goals of all the sustainability efforts in the state are to create a cleaneconomy that provides living wage jobs, local manufacturing, energy independence, and someresilience to global economic trends.GBO Hawai’i, the sustainability board game, encompasses all of this activity in a fun, engagingformat that allows students to understand economic development and sustainability, as well asits various stakeholders, their motivations, and their desired outcomes. Players in the game areinvestors looking to make money, to help the state offset imports of oil, displace imported,processed and/or genetically modified foods, to reduce waste, and to create greencollar jobs that provide living wage opportunities for entrepreneurs and workers in Hawai’i.This concept, wherein business is conducted for more than just financial return, is often referredto as “Triple Bottom Line”, where businesses positively affect people, planet, and profit. This isone of the fundamental concepts of sustainability, and part of why sustainability has becomesuch a popular buzzword.
We strongly recommend you play the game yourself first, as the first time with any game canbe confusing. You should know the game in order to introduce it to your students. There areinstructional videos on our website (www.GBOHawaii.com), as well as the writteninstructions and FAQ page, but should you have any questions you can’t find answers to, orsimply want to ask questions about the game before introducing it to your class, don’t hesitateto reach out to us.
Copyright 2012, GreenBusinessOwner.com. All rights reserved.
Game play options:
You can play GBO Hawaii as a board game or as a card game.
This lesson plan is for the boardgame play
, but if you’d like a quicker, easier to learn version to start your students with, click onthe “Card Game Version” link at the top of our website (www.GBOHawaii.com).
Copyright 2012, GreenBusinessOwner.com. All rights reserved.
GEOGRAPHY, COUNTY SEATS, ANDPLACE-BASED RESOURCES
The island state of Hawai’i has an idealgeographic setup that allows students to learnabout municipalities. The state relativelycleanly breaks up into four counties that arevery distinct in terms of boundaries. Hawai’iCounty (far right on map), for instance,encompasses the Big Island of Hawai’i, and isbordered on all sides by water. The Big Islandis the most sparsely populated of the islands,so students will find that businesses willgenerally cost less to start on the Big Islandversus other places where land values aremuch higher. Reflecting reality, the Big Islandis a place where agricultural productionmakes more sense than in places likeHonolulu County, where land costs are very high. In addition, the Big Island has geothermalactivity (as evidenced by the active volcano on the island), so players will find opportunities tostart geothermal energy businesses on the Big Island that aren’t available farther west past Maui.By using place-based resources, students are learning geography and business strategy at thesame time. Additionally, each county will pass its own legislation throughout the game, affectingbusinesses located there by either incentivizing certain activities or providing subsidies to moreunhealthy businesses like oil, gas, and plastics, which may have negative effects on the greenbusinesses located there.
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