Playing eco-friendly board games is a great excuse to get together with your peeps! Remember the good ol’ days when families and friends used to gather around the coffee table for a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly instead of having their faces stuck to their phone screens? Sure, we all love a little screen time, but if we stop playing board games together, what might befall our civilization? We can’t let that happen! So, get out the organic vegan junk food and call your family and pals. It’s time to engage in some ultra-high-quality, off-screen face time. The fun is guaranteed when you play these great board games with an eco twist!
Eco-Friendly Monopoly
Let’s kick things off with a little bit of trivia: The origins of the game Monopoly can be traced as far back as 1902 to a game called “The Landlord’s Game,” which was designed by Elizabeth Magie, according to Wikipedia. In 1935, on the heels of the Great Depression, when people were in strong need of some aspirational horsepower, Parker Brothers bought a version of the game, which would be a precursor to the Monopoly we all know today. Testament to its longevity, Monopoly has morphed into some educational eco-friendly variations, which you’ll see here, that are even more fun than owning a few hotels on Boardwalk or Park Place.
1. Monopoly: National Parks Edition
The National Park Edition of Monopoly lets you experience over 60 of the most beautiful and historic sites in America, including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, which you can buy, sell, and trade. (This is a little alarming given the current political climate, but then again, this is a game!) This eco-friendly board game also features the animals that call these parks home, including grizzly bears and bald eagles. Of course, the six play pieces are tailored to the game and include a ranger hat, tent, canoe, bison, hiking boot, and camera.
2. Earthopoly
In Earthopoly, players can buy properties and collect carbon credits, then trade them for clean air. As they travel the board, they learn about the planet and can pick up green tips from each deed card. The eco-friendly game pieces are made of natural materials and are recyclable, and the game is printed with soy-based ink.
3. Ocean-Opoly Eco-Friendly Board Game
Celebrate your love for the sea with Ocean-Opoly, which features a variety of ocean life, with educational content on the deed cards. Player pieces include a crab, fish, shark fin, lobster, starfish, and seahorse.
4. Wild Animalopoly Eco Game
Wild Animalopoly has a decidedly pro-animal spin. Deeds to properties become caretaker certificates for animals, rents become meal fees, and houses and hotels are elements and habitats. “Go to Jail” has been retooled as “Hide from Predators,” and “Free Parking” is now “The Watering Hole.”
5. Bug-Opoly Board Game
Bugs everywhere deserve a little more respect for the essential role they play in keeping the world’s ecosystems healthy. In Bug-Opoly, players buy, sell, and trade their favorite bugs. Players pieces are insects, which makes this an especially great game to play with people who suffer from entomophobia – the fear of bugs. :o)
6. Penguin Opoly
Just as there are dog people and cat people, there are also penguin people. Needless to say, Penguin Opoly is the perfect gift for the penguin-obsessed. In Penguin Opoly, players collect their favorite penguins, of which there are over a dozen different species. Players can increase the “rent” on their penguin properties by adding ocean water. The educational aspect to the game includes factoids about penguins on the backs of the deed cards.
More Great Eco-Friendly Games
7. Ecosystem
Ecosystem is an ecology board game where players build ecosystems with the goal of strengthening biodiversity and sustainability. You earn points by aligning animals and insects, such as foxes, eagles, bears, rabbits, and bees, with habitats where they’ll thrive. It’s a great way to have fun with family and friends while learning about science.
8. Photosynthesis Eco-Friendly Board Game
Photosynthesis is the tree-planting strategy game. Players plant trees and take them through an entire life cycle – from seedling to rebirth. This eco-friendly game is fun for kids age eight and up as well as grownups.
9. Hit the Habitat Trail
In Hit the Habitat Trail, players collect Habit Cards when they answer a knowledge question correctly. Questions are multiple choice or true and false, which makes it a great educational game that invites lively discussions and debates. Wisdom and Consequence cards provide information about environmental hazards and solutions. This game is fun for both adults and kids.
10. Yahtzee National Parks Edition
If you don’t have room to carry an big eco-friendly board game, the Yahtzee National Parks edition is ready to take on your next camping trip as everything fits into the included dice cup. It’s a National Parks twist on the classic game. The dice are park themed with pine trees, deer, a hiker, binoculars, and a canoe. The game comes with a little booklet that includes information on U.S. National Parks, such as the ocean, lake, and river National Parks; natural and scenic National Parks, Civil War battle sites, and the animals of the National Parks. A portion of proceeds go to the National Parks Foundation
11. Xeko Eco-Friendly Board Game
Xeko is a card game that includes a few different editions, which are referred to as missions, including Mission: Indonesia, Mission: Madagascar, Mission: Costa Rica, and others. The different versions showcase animals and plants that are endangered in the various regions. The game focuses on the importance of biodiversity as the objective for players is to create a balanced, diverse ecosystem. Players get Species Cards that they must link with other Species Cards as they battle other players for Eco Points.
12. National Parks Trivial Pursuit
The National Parks edition of the classic game Trivial Pursuit is ready to take on your next backroads or car camping adventure. It takes up a lot less space than a bigger eco-friendly board game like Monopoly. Plus, it comes with its own portable carrying case and carabiner. Questions revolve around the U.S. National Parks, with categories that include Battlefields and Historic Sites, Natural Wonders, Cultural Heritage, Science and Nature, and Wildlife. And of course, there’s also a Wild Card for those Park-loving geeks who have an expertise in a particular area.
13. Bug Bingo Board Game
Bug Bingo artfully depicts the natural beauty of the oft-misunderstood insect kingdom. The colorful illustrated game has 64 insect species, which will make playing Bingo with numbers pale in comparison. The tokens are illustrated to match the boards, and the game includes 12 Bingo cards and a brochure with educational information about the various bugs included in the game. Bingo fans everywhere will get a kick out of Bug Bingo!
14. Endango
In Endango, each player is responsible for a different environment, including ocean, ice, safari, or forest, and each environment has three endangered animals. Players take actions around the game board, which help or harm the animals. The ultimate objective is for each player to protect the animals in their environment. The game itself is made with recycled materials and soy-based inks.
15. Go Find It Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Whether you’re traveling or staying home, the Go Find It scavenger hunts makes it fun to get outside and enjoy the natural world. It’s a combination word, visual, and sensory experience game. Proceeds from the sale of this game go towards organizations that help people get equal access to the great outdoors.
Eco-Friendly Card Games
Playing card games will never go out of style, and their portability makes them great for plane rides, camping trips, and other adventures. Here are some with an eco-friendly twist.
16. Bicycle Eco Edition Playing Cards
These Bicycle Eco Edition playing cards are printed with vegetable-based inks and laminated with a starch-based glue. They can be recycled, and they’re made in the U.S.A.
17. Bicycle Hemp Playing Cards
Yep, these Bicycle playing cards are actually made with sustainable, eco-friendly hemp! The cards are designed with original artwork and they’re made in the USA.
18. Uno Wilderness
Uno Wilderness brings an outdoorsy twist to this classic card game. Designed for 2-10 players, Uno Wilderness has the same objective as classic Uno, which is to end up with only one card. The colorful illustrations keep the great outdoors top of mind, which is a good thing for all of us!
19. Living Earth Games
Living Earth Games designs cooperative eco- and nature-themed card and board games. The beautiful water colored illustrations make these nature games pretty enough to put on display.
Wooden Games
As a society, it’s vitally important that we reduce our use of petrol-plastic, so it’s fun to see these classic games made with wood and Earth-friendly bamboo.
20. Jenga
Jenga is a fun game for people of all ages that never goes out of style. This version has a convenient “put away” container, that make it easy to pick up and store all those pieces once they inevitably come crashing down.
21. Classic Games in Wood by Woods Heritage
Woods Heritage hand carves beautiful class games, boxes, and other items in their workshop in the Ukraine. These make great gifts to passed down through generations.
Wood Games by Maple Landmark
Maple Landmark is a small company base in Middlebury, Vermont that produces classic games made from wood that is sourced locally in Vermont, which is 80% forested. Comprised of just 40 people, the Landmark team makes all of their products in Middlebury, and they do their best to source their other materials locally as well.
22. Chinese Checkers
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23. Backyard Bird Dominoes
24. Mancala
25. Wood Scrabble Set
Scrabble is a classic, fun game that never goes out of style. And it’s easy to take on road trips, camping, the boat, or anywhere else your adventures take you.
26. Heirloom Tabletop Games by Thinking Monk
Thinking Monk hand carves some exquisite tabletop games from ash and other woods and colors them with natural dyes. (Vegans, take note that they make some game accessories that use leather.) They also carve custom games.
Price: ~$11.00
27. Crane Pick-Up Sticks
Pick up sticks is another classic game that people of all ages enjoy. This special World Wildlife Fund edition feature endangered species and their habitats. It includes 30 colored wooden sticks and a crane-themed wooden storage case. All the components are made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sustainably-harvested wood.
Bamboo Board Games
28. Bamboo Pickup Sticks
Easy to pack, easy to play, and easy on your wallet, these colorful bamboo pickup sticks are fun to play with, whether you’re a grownup or a kid.
29. Bamboo Chess and Checkers Set
30. Bamboo Backgammon Set
31. Tic Tac Toe by DinDinToys
Din Din Toys is a company based in Latvia that makes toys and party favors out of wood. Their Tic Tac Toe game comes with a linen carrying sac that doubles as the game board.
32. Vintage Board Games
I’m a big fan of buying used stuff, so I was happy to see that Etsy has a great selection of vintage board games for those who want to take a stroll down memory lane, or for those who want to try something new that happens to be vintage