Green Machine: A Card Game Introducing Students to Systems Thinking in Green Chemistry by Strategizing the Creation of a Recycling Plant

Green Machine is a competitive strategy card game facilitating a systems thinking approach to learning recycling processes and green chemistry in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Players compete to be the first to be able to launch their recycling plant by collecting a series of playing cards. Players must use interpersonal skills to consider the interconnected systems while showing an appreciation for commercial awareness and versatility, as dynamic problem solving (reflecting real-world scenarios) is required to play the game successfully. The card game was implemented with 19 U.K. graduate students and 29 U.S. second-year undergraduate students. Survey feedback showed that Green Machine was an innovative resource that was enjoyable to play and engaged students in learning recycling processes through systems thinking. On the basis of pre- and post-test questions to evaluate learning gain, Green Machine is a helpful resource to introduce students not only to green chemistry and sustainability but also to taking a systems thinking approach to learning.

With the population increasing rapidly and expected to hit 10 billion by the about 2050, sustainability is more important than ever. In 2015 the UN set 17 sustainable development goals, with the ambition to achieve each of them by 2030. These goals cover a plethora of areas, from poverty to peace and energy to industry.
One of the most effective and simplest ways to improve sustainability globally is through the use of recycling. This is underlined by the 12 th UN sustainable development goal for "responsible consumption and production." This goal contains specific targets which highlight the key role recycling will play in addressing this goal. Some of the key targets include: • 12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. • 12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. • 12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. • 12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.
The game is designed to give a through insight into recycling processes (in the context of UN sustainable development goals) and make connections between government regulations and their impacts. Take time to read the material on the cards whilst playing -it explains each process and gives a scientific explanation relating to why each process is needed and why each is conducted in that manner.

Introduction
Game Setup 1) Shuffle, then place the orange machine cards face down on the table in a pile.
2) Draw the top few machine cards and place them face up next to the machine card pile. Draw one more machine card than the number of players. The setup shown is for 6 players (so 6 + 1 = 7) cards were drawn. This is the machine market. 3) Shuffle the blue materials cards and green recyclables cards together, then place the materials/recyclables pile down on the table. 4) Place the white materials/recyclables market board next to the materials/recyclables pile. Draw the top 8 cards and place them in order onto the market board (i.e. the 1 st card draw is placed in the slot labelled 1 and so on). This is the materials/recyclables market. 5) Shuffle, then place the government regulation cards face up on the table (this won't come into effect on the first turn so it can be ignored for now). 6) Each player will need a player order indicator card (see the "Phase 1" section to understand how to assign these to each player). 7) Each player start the game with $1000. Players should keep track of this (e.g. on a sheet of paper).
Insert photo of real game cards setup numbered to correspond with text below.

Winning the Game
Each player represents a recycling firm contracted by the government to recycle household waste. The first player to assemble their recycling plant and run the correct waste product through it is the winner. In order to run a recycling plant, players will need to collect orange machine cards, green recyclable cards and blue material cards.

How to Play
The game is made up of turns; each turn is made up of 7 phases:

Phase 1 -Determine Player Order
The player order is determined at the start of each turn. The player who goes first is the one who satisfies the following criteria (in order of precedence):

a) Has the fewest machine cards. b) Has the fewest material/recycling cards (consider the total of both together). c) Has the least money. d) Is the youngest.
Once the player order has been determined, hand out the player order indicator cards. The player who is to go first gets the card labelled "1 st " card (and so on).

Phase 2 -Draw New Machine Cards
Draw machine cards from the top of the machine cards pile and place them face up alongside the machine cards deck. Draw one more card than the number of players.
Note: For the very first turn this will already have been completed, so skip phase 2.

Phase 3 -Buying Machines Sorter
For effective recycling, materials must be sorted by color, grade and type. This is often achieved using optical sorting.
The orange card to the right is a machine card. Players will need to collect these in order to win the game. The key features of the card are described below: 1) Symbol (cogs) indicating a machine card. 2) Name of the machine. 3) Symbol showing the machine type. 4) Important text listing the background information on the recycling process.

5) Processes which the machine is involved in and
anything else required for the process (each item in a blue box).
Note: The less processes the machine is involved in, the less of them there are in the deck (e.g. digesters are rare!).

1 3 4 5
The player who is 1 st in the player order [hereafter called the "1 st player"] goes first. They have 2 options: 1) Select a machine in the machine market to place a bid on (bids must be at least $100 and must be multiples of $50). 2) Pass (the player skips buying a machine this turn; they cannot bid on other machines either).
If the 1 st player decides to bid for a machine, the player who is 2 nd in the player order [hereafter called the 2 nd player] must do one of 2 things: 1) Place a higher bid on the machine. Bids must be in minimum increments of $50 and each bid must be a multiple of $50. E.g. if the 1 st player bid $100, bids of $150 or $200 are ok, bids of $101 or $160 are not. 2) Pass (the player skips bidding on this machine; they cannot re-join the bidding on this particular machine later on; they can bid on other machines later on in the phase).
This process follows player order, with each player either bidding higher or passing. Once each player has done this there are 2 possible situations:

1)
Only the 1 st player made a bid (i.e. everyone else passed) -meaning the 1 st player gets the machine for their initial bid. 2) One or more players (other than the 1 st player) placed a bid on the machine. In this case the bidding loops back around to the player highest in the player order (1 st > 2 nd > 3 rd etc.) and continues to follow player order (excluding players who previously passed) until all except one player drops out (by passing). The player with the highest bid gets the machine for that bid.
In this case, one of 2 things can happen:

1)
If the 1 st player gets the machine they originally placed a bid on, the 2 nd player gets a chance to bid on their preferred machine (or pass) and the bidding process repeats again. 2) If the 1 st player was outbid for their preferred machine (i.e. another player got the machine they originally chose) they place a bid on a new machine (or pass) and the bidding process repeats again.
This process repeats following the player turn order (i.e. the process keeps starting back with the 1 st player until they buy a machine or pass. The process then keeps starting back with the 2 nd player until they buy a machine or pass (and so on through each of the players).
After each player has bought a machine (or passed), clear the machine market by placing any remaining machines face down at to the bottom of the machine card pile. The 1 st player then selects a different machine to place a bid on and the process repeats. The process is repeated until the 1 st player successfully bids for a machine or passes. It is then the turn of the 2 nd player. This process is followed for each player in turn (according to the player order).

Phase 3 -Buying Machines (Continued) Help! Which machine should I buy?
Have a look at the processes involved in recycling paper (the machines required are labelled): In order to recycle paper a sorter, pulper, filter, roller and heater are needed. Players who are planning to recycle paper should thus aim to collect these five machines. The reference sheet shows all 5 recycling processes and the machines needed for each. The key (overleaf on the reference sheet) shows the name of each machine (as well as all the other intermediate products) to help you.
Note: Machines can be used for more than one process. E.g. the sorter is used to recycle paper, plastic and glass; this means players will likely be bidding against others who aim to recycling paper, plastic or glass.

An example setup of the materials/recyclables market is shown below:
The player who is 1 st in the player order goes first. They look at the cards in the materials/recyclables market and must decide if they want to purchase any of them; alternatively they can choose to pass.
To purchase the card they must pay the price shown above that card. The player deducts this sum from their money.
Note: Cards can be selected as a group, their total cost calculated and subtracted from a player's funds (i.e. complete all the transactions in one go, rather than individually).

Phase 3 -Buying Machines (Continued 2)
Insert photo of materials/recyclables market set up.

Phase 4 -Buying Materials/Recyclables Help! Which materials/recyclables should I buy?
Have a look at the processes involved in recycling paper (the machines required are labelled): In order to recycle paper you need the waste paper recyclable card (green), as well as both the surfactant and air materials cards (blue). Players who are planning to recycle paper should thus aim to collect these cards from the materials/recyclables market. The reference sheet shows all 5 recycling processes and the materials needed for each. A recyclable card (green) for each process is also needed, i.e. the waste plastic card is needed to recycle plastic (and so on).
Note: Air is used both to recycle paper and to recycle glass. Players aiming to recycle paper and glass will likely be bidding against each other for air.

Example (Refer to Market on Previous Page):
The 1 st player wants to recycle paper. They need waste paper (green), surfactant (blue) and air (blue). They buy the surfactant for $50, as it is cheap. They also buy the waste paper for $150, as it is rare (recyclables are much rarer than materials). They don't buy the air for $150 (or $200) as it quite expensive and they want to wait for it to appear at a cheaper price (materials are very common).
Once the 1 st player has made their purchase(s), the market needs to be replenished for the next person. If the 1 st player passed, no replenishment is necessary (as the market is unchanged).
To replenish the market, complete the following steps in order: 1) Shuffle the cards along the materials/recyclables board so they fill the first slots in the market -DO NOT REORDER the cards. 2) Draw new cards from the top of the materials/recyclables deck to fill the empty slots in the market.
Place the cards into the first (i.e. cheapest) free slot in the order they are drawn.
An image showing the newly replenished market is shown below: The player who is 2 nd in the player order goes next. They follow the same procedure as the 1 st player. This process is repeated for each player (following the player turn order, restocking the materials/recyclables market after each player has made their purchases).

What about electricity and water?
These are treated separately to materials and recyclables. The cost for each unit of electricity (i.e. each square showing a energy symbol in the process) is $100. The cost for each unit of water (i.e. each square showing a water symbol in the process) is $50.
Have a look at the processes involved in recycling paper (the machines required are labelled): It can be seen that the process involves the use of 4 units of electricity and 1 unit of water. The total cost to recycle paper is $450 (4 x $100 = $400 for electricity + 1 x $50 = $50 for water). The player must therefore have $450 to recycle paper and win (see "Phase 6 -Check for a Winner").
Given that it costs money to buy the necessary electricity and water to complete a recycling process, players may wish to sell machines, materials or recyclable cards that they no longer need to raise funds. This phase follows the player turn order. Starting with 1 st player, each player is given the opportunity to sell any cards they with. Selling goods depends on the type of card in question: 1) Machine cards can be sold for $100 each. Place these into the (typically empty) machine market. Players can sell as many machine cards each as they want each turn, unless the machine market is full (i.e. it has one more card than the number of players). 2) Material/recyclable cards can be sold for $50 each. Place these face down underneath the materials/recyclables deck. Players can sell as many materials/recyclables cards each turn as they want -there is NO LIMIT.
Note: Be careful about selling the final machine an opponent needs to complete their recycling process -as they might buy it and win! Each player, in turn, checks to see if they have won. To win they must: 1) Have all the machine card required to complete a recycling process.
2) Have all the materials cards required to complete that recycling process.
3) Have all the recyclable card that corresponds to that recycling process. 4) Have sufficient funds to pay for the electricity and water they need for that recycling process.
If a player meets ALL these conditions, the game ends immediately; this player is declared the winner.

Electricity Electricity
Phase 5 -Selling Cards

Phase 6 -Checking for a Winner
In the case of a tie, use the following criteria (in order) to choose a single winner: 1) The player who completed the more complicated recycling process takes preference: Glass > Paper > Metal > Plastic > Food 2) The player with the most money takes preference.
If no winner is found in phase 6, move on to phase 7.
Phase 7 is comprised of the following 3 components: 1) Changing government regulation. 2) Restocking the machine market.

3) Collecting a government grant.
Changing the government regulation involves placing the top (face up) card of the government regulation deck to form a new pile the side of the deck. This card becomes the government regulation in force for the new turn (that is about to start). The card now face up at the top of the government regulation deck is the government regulation that will come into force for the turn after that. Each turn, simply place the top card of the government regulation deck onto this new pile (to change the government regulation for the turn that is about to start).
Note: There will be no government regulation in force on the first turn (however the card (face up) at the top of the deck will come into force at the start of the next (second) turn.

Note: Government regulations can override standard rules and procedures! You MUST follow them!
To restock the machine market, simply draw cards from the machine cards deck and place them into the machine market. Draw as many cards as is necessary so that there is one more machine card than the number of players (i.e. do not add any new machines to the machine market if it is already full of machine that players chose to sell in phase 5).

Each player can now claims a government grant of $200 and adds it to their funds.
A new turn is then started (go back to phase 1 and start the process again, following each phase sequentially).
The game ends when a player (or players) meet the criteria of phase 6 -checking for a winner. See there for more details.