Tackling climate change is no easy task, but what if it could be explored through a game? Former Impact MBA student Aidan Lawton created Carbon Countdown™ to turn CSU’s Climate Action Plan into a collaborative, strategy-based experience that makes sustainability both approachable and engaging.
Carbon Countdown™ is a collaborative board game inspired by CSU’s Climate Action Plan and greenhouse gas inventory data. The game condenses a critical six-year emissions reduction timeline into six engaging rounds of play, where participants make strategic decisions to implement various emission-reducing projects. These projects, categorized into energy, transportation, or waste and materials, allow players to remove emissions tiles from a shared game board. Additionally, players must navigate the impacts on their team’s “reputation,” introducing trade-offs that add depth to the strategy.
The game was developed as part of President Amy Parson’s Sustainability Commission, to provide a fun and educational tool for teaching complex sustainability concepts to students, staff, and faculty. Lawton’s goal was to gamify sustainability in a way that is accessible to diverse audiences, transforming CSU’s climate objectives into enjoyable gameplay. By doing so, participants can better understand effective strategies to reduce emissions and evoke an emotional response highlighting the importance of collective action.
In a time when climate action plans are becoming increasingly prevalent across various sectors, Carbon Countdown™ addresses the pressing need for interactive and educational resources that facilitate understanding and engagement with carbon reduction goals.
“In this game, you can see the value of sustainability in terms of long-term benefits,” Lawton noted, emphasizing its educational potential.
Lawton aspires for Carbon Countdown™ to inspire other institutions to enhance their campus initiatives and contribute to a better world.
“The most fun part of creating this game is seeing it work successfully,” Lawton said “It’s rewarding to witness the results of people playing and understanding the game’s message.”
The game emphasizes collaboration and communication among players from various colleges and serves as a customizable teaching and planning tool that mirrors real-world climate strategies.
Learn more at csustrata.org/technology-transfer/available-technology/carbon-countdown.
Though based on CSU’s Climate Action Plan, Carbon Countdown™ can be easily adapted to other institutions’ goals, making it a versatile tool for teaching and planning around sustainability. For licensing inquiries, contact Jessy McGowan at jessy.mcgowan@colostate.edu.