📊 The Sustainable Kitchen Challenge: A Math & STEAM-Based Game 🍽️♻️

💡 Concept:
Students (16 years old) will take on the role of eco-conscious restaurant managers tasked with making mathematically optimized decisions to create a zero-waste, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly menu.

Using math principles like percentages, proportions, statistics, and data analysis, they will calculate food waste, optimize portion sizes, and reduce environmental impact while ensuring their restaurant remains profitable and sustainable.

🕹️ Game Setup & Rules

📌 Teams: Groups of 4-5 students.
📌 Objective: Use math and data to make the most sustainable and profitable restaurant.
📌 Time Limit: 60-90 minutes.
📌 Winning Criteria: The team with the highest sustainability and efficiency score wins!

🔹 Round 1: Food Waste Audit (Data & Percentages) 📊🔍

💬 How much food waste does a restaurant generate?

✅ Challenge: Teams receive a fictional dataset showing the amount of food wasted in different restaurant sections (kitchen, buffet, customer plates).

✅ Task:

1. Calculate the total percentage of food waste in each section.
   
   
2. Compare waste percentages and determine which section needs the most improvement.
   
   

🎯 Points Earned: Teams that accurately analyze data and propose a solution get the highest score.

🔹 Round 2: Smart Menu Planning (Ratios & Proportions) 🍽️📐

💬 How can we design a sustainable menu while minimizing waste?

✅ Challenge: Each team gets a list of raw ingredients and must create a menu with proper portion sizes while reducing waste.

✅ Task:

1. Use ratios & proportions to distribute ingredients evenly across menu items.
   
   
2. Adjust portion sizes to minimize leftovers while keeping meals balanced.
   
   

🎯 Points Earned: Best mathematical accuracy in portion control and sustainability.

🔹 Round 3: The Carbon Footprint Calculator (Multiplication & Statistics) 🌍🔢

💬 How can we reduce the environmental impact of our restaurant?

✅ Challenge: Teams must calculate the carbon footprint of different food ingredients (e.g., beef vs. vegetables).

✅ Task:

1. Multiply the carbon footprint per kg of different foods to determine which menu items have the lowest impact.
   
   
2. Use statistics to create a CO₂ reduction plan by swapping high-impact ingredients for lower-impact ones.
   
   

🎯 Points Earned: Teams that accurately calculate CO₂ emissions and make smart ingredient swaps score the highest.

🔹 Round 4: Restaurant Budget & Pricing Strategy (Cost Analysis & Graphs) 💰📉

💬 How can we make our restaurant financially sustainable while reducing waste?

✅ Challenge: Teams receive a set budget and must price their sustainable menu items to make a profit while keeping them affordable.

✅ Task:

1. Analyze ingredient costs and set prices that balance profitability and sustainability.
   
   
2. Use graphing techniques to visualize cost vs. revenue.
   
   

🎯 Points Earned: The team with the most profitable yet sustainable menu plan wins this round.

🏆 Final Scoring & Winner Announcement 🎉

• Teams add up their sustainability and efficiency points.
  
  
• The winning team is crowned “Eco-Math Masters” and receives a green certificate or digital badge.
  
  
• A reflection session follows, where students discuss how math plays a role in real-world sustainability decisions.
  
  

🌱 Learning Outcomes:

✅ Apply mathematical concepts to real-world sustainability challenges.
✅ Learn how to analyze data and make informed decisions.
✅ Understand the relationship between food waste, carbon footprint, and resource management.
✅ Develop critical thinking, teamwork, and financial literacy.