When the kids are at home from school and we need to stay inside then we love to play games.  Abby likes Sequence, Josh likes Farkel, Mike likes cards and I like Yahtzee or any kind of word games.  We like to get together with family and friends to play games too.  While the green game listed below sounds a bit odd I bet we could come up with a game of our own.  Got any ideas?

Does going green run in your family?

The Bite

If you challenge your relatives to be a little greener, they’ll run with it. While the family’s in town, turn them on to five simple eco-tips and tally up who’s doing what. Whatever happens, the planet scores an epic win.

The Benefits

• Championing greenness. Easy changes add up between family members (for instance: Getting your big bro to shave just 30 seconds off his marathon shower saves about 4 gallons), plus nongreen relatives will hopefully take what they learn back home.
• A fun run. OK, so this game might sound a little off the wall, but when you’re Guitar Hero and Monopoly’d out, it can actually be kinda fun.

• If 10,000 Biters get five family members onto the reusable bottle bandwagon, in a year we’ll avert the weight of two adult African elephants in plastic waste.

Personally Speaking

These are our double-dog dares – let us know how you challenge your own fam to go green by commenting in the blog.

Wanna Try?

• Object of the game: to score the highest number of green points (and the right to brag about it).
• Equipment: reusable bags and bottles; a clock or watch to time showers.
• Keeping score: sign up the kids, nieces, or nephews to keep track of the points – they make great, unbudging point-callers. Create a chart and tally up points on the fridge.
• How to play:
  • Bring Reusable Bags – gain a point for going on market or pharmacy runs without resorting to throwaway paper or plastic at the register.
  • Carry Reusable Bottles – get a point for every time you fill up a nondisposable bottle (encourages everyone to stay hydrated too).
  • Pick Up Litter – easy: get one point for each piece of trash when you’re out and about.
  • Take Shorter Showers – have the fam time showers, and get a point if you can shave 30 seconds off each day you’re in town.
  • Turn Off the Lights – dock a point when you leave the room for a while but forget to shut off the lights.
• The player with the most points at the end of the trip wins!