Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack ⇒ Sustainable Living for Your Sims

In June 2020, The Sims 4 released its Eco Lifestyle expansion pack, an innovative addition that brought sustainability and environmental awareness right into the heart of gameplay. Packed with creative features that encourage sustainable living, community involvement, and conscious consumption, this expansion provides a fresh and unique experience for Sims enthusiasts. Whether it’s reducing the eco footprint of a neighborhood, diving into dumpsters to find upcycling treasures, or voting for community-focused Neighborhood Action Plans, Eco Lifestyle transforms the way players interact with their virtual world.

Explore the Eco Footprint System – A Revolutionary Gameplay Mechanic

At the core of the Eco Lifestyle expansion lies the eco footprint system, a dynamic game mechanic that measures the environmental state of the Sims’ world. This system categorizes neighborhoods into three distinct states: green, neutral, and industrial. Initially, every neighborhood starts with a neutral eco footprint, but the actions of Sims and the placement of certain items can gradually shift this status toward either end of the spectrum.

Living in a green neighborhood offers numerous benefits, such as cleaner air, healthier Sims, and beautiful plant life blooming everywhere. On the other hand, an industrial footprint results in smoggy environments, increased negative moodlets, and darker skies. Players can monitor their neighborhood’s eco footprint using an intuitive interface and shape it through eco-conscious decisions, fostering a highly interactive and rewarding experience.

How Different Worlds Adapt to the Eco Footprint

While the eco footprint feature applies to all residential worlds in The Sims 4 (except for Strangerville and vacation destinations), the level of impact varies by how Sims interact with their surroundings. Players can place sustainable items, such as solar panels or wind turbines, to help improve the eco footprint or add industrial objects that have the opposite effect. This inclusion makes every action feel purposeful, influencing the broader environment Around The Sims.

Build and Buy Mode – Sustainability at Its Core

Eco Lifestyle introduces a plethora of new build and buy mode items, each designed with sustainability in mind. These items are categorized by their Eco Ratings, which affect whether they contribute to improving or worsening the eco footprint.

Highlights of New Build and Buy Features

Solar Roof Patterns: Boost your environmental impact while generating sustainable power.
Living Roof Tiles: Add greenery and help purify the air above your Sims’ homes.
Recycled Furniture: Stylish, eco-conscious items crafted from repurposed materials.
Dew Collectors and Wind Turbines: Essential utilities for green energy and water conservation.

Beyond the new additions, older items from the base game and other packs have also been retrofitted with Eco Ratings, allowing players to make conscious decisions about the furniture and decor they place in their homes.

Sustainable Living – Dive into Eco-Friendly Activities

Eco Lifestyle wouldn’t be complete without focusing on the actions Sims can take to live more sustainably. From dumpster diving to vertical gardening, these features make resourcefulness and environmentalism both fun and engaging.

Dumpster Diving

Sims can rummage through dumpsters to uncover hidden treasures, including furniture, appliances, and recyclable materials. This activity not only supports an upcycling lifestyle but also offers players a thrill as they uncover valuable finds in unlikely places.

Vertical Gardening

Traditional gardening takes a modern twist with vertical gardens, allowing Sims to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs without requiring sprawling plots of land. Vertical gardens are perfect for urban Sims looking to cultivate their own produce sustainably.

Energy-Saving Utilities

Solar Panels: Generate renewable energy to lower utility bills and reduce environmental impact.
Wind Turbines: Harness the wind to further supplement your Sims’ energy needs.
Dew Collectors: Conserve water by collecting dew in the mornings.

Community Engagement – Neighborhood Action Plans

One of the standout features of this pack is the introduction of Neighborhood Action Plans (NAPs), which allow Sims to vote on rules and initiatives that shape their community. These plans bring a sense of collaboration and interactivity to the gameplay, making the neighborhood feel alive and dynamic.

How Neighborhood Action Plans Work

Each week, Sims can vote on a variety of action plans using Influence Points earned through Social Activities. If an action plan is passed, it creates specific changes in the community. For instance, a “Green Gardening” NAP will encourage Sims to grow their own produce, while a “Sharing is Caring” plan might enable neighbors to borrow (or steal!) items from each other.

Customize Community Spaces

The pack also introduces multipurpose community lots, which can be transformed based on the community vote. These spaces can serve as gardens, makerspaces, or even marketplaces, providing ample opportunities for collaboration and creativity among Sims.

Introducing Evergreen Harbor – A Transformative New World

Eco Lifestyle debuts Evergreen Harbor, a polluted industrial town that’s ripe for transformation. Players can actively contribute to cleaning up this new world by implementing green initiatives and monitoring how their choices affect the environment.

Neighborhoods of Evergreen Harbor

Grim Quarry: A mountainous region known for its industrial history.
Port Promise: A bustling urban area that has the potential to become a thriving eco-friendly hub.
Conifer Station: A charming, suburban area surrounded by forests.

Through sustainable practices, players can shift Evergreen Harbor’s eco footprint from polluted to green, watching as smog gives way to clearer skies and lush greenery.

New Careers and Skills

Eco Lifestyle doesn’t stop with items and features—it introduces new career paths and skills, providing Sims with even more avenues for growth and creativity.

Freelance Crafter Career

Sims can step into the Freelance Crafter career, which focuses on crafting items from recycled materials. From candles to upcycled furniture pieces, this career encourages resourceful creativity and aligns perfectly with the pack’s sustainability themes.

Fabrication and Juice Fizzing Skills

Eco Lifestyle also introduces two new skills:

Fabrication: This skill allows Sims to craft household items using a Fabricator, giving old materials new life.
Juice Fizzing: Sims can create homemade fizzy drinks using collected ingredients. It’s a fun and profitable way to embrace sustainability!

Fire Resistance Ratings – A Realistic Touch

As part of the June 2020 update, fire resistance ratings were added to the game, including for items in Eco Lifestyle. Now players must consider how fire-safe their furniture and decor are, adding another layer of strategy to build and buy mode.

How-To Guide – Tips for a Greener World

Step 1: Start Small

Begin with small changes, such as installing solar panels on your home or switching to energy-efficient appliances.

Step 2: Vote on Neighborhood Action Plans

Use Influence Points to advocate for eco-friendly NAPs in your community, like reducing water usage or promoting green living.

Step 3: Embrace Upcycling

Dive into dumpsters and learn the Fabrication skill to create unique, sustainable decor items for your home.

Step 4: Cultivate a Vertical Garden

Grow your own produce in vertical gardens to reduce reliance on purchased goods while embracing urban farming.

FAQs

What is the eco footprint system in Eco Lifestyle?

The eco footprint system is a mechanic that measures a neighborhood’s environmental state (green, neutral, or industrial) and allows Sims’ actions to influence the environment.

Can the eco footprint system be turned off?

Yes, the eco footprint system can be adjusted or completely disabled through the game options menu.

Which Sims 4 worlds are affected by the eco footprint?

All residential worlds are influenced by the eco footprint system, except for Strangerville and vacation destinations.

What are Neighborhood Action Plans?

Neighborhood Action Plans (NAPs) allow Sims to vote on rules and initiatives, like promoting green energy or encouraging community gardening, that affect their neighborhood’s dynamics.

What is Evergreen Harbor?

Evergreen Harbor is the new world introduced in Eco Lifestyle. It begins as a polluted town but can be transformed into a green haven through players’ actions.