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Eco Footprint in Cottage Living

So... I have played in the world for exactly one (1) Sim day, and the eco footprint has gone from fully green to neutral. In one day. I have no mods that should have anything to do with the footprint, so what's going on? Is it just a matter of Eco Lifestyle still being bugged beyond belief?
Origin ID: A_Bearded_Geek

Comments

  • SindocatSindocat Posts: 5,622 Member
    Unless you are actively pursuing green strategies, things will tend toward neutral. I had to take steps, because I was using my sims' (safely upgraded!) fireplaces, which started to tip things toward industrial. I did manage to swing New Old Hensford back toward Green.
  • BeardedgeekBeardedgeek Posts: 5,520 Member
    Sindocat wrote: »
    Unless you are actively pursuing green strategies, things will tend toward neutral. I had to take steps, because I was using my sims' (safely upgraded!) fireplaces, which started to tip things toward industrial. I did manage to swing New Old Hensford back toward Green.

    Makes sense; another reason to disable footprints. I find the same thing happens in the other English town; Britechester, where every fireplace makes the place go smoggy in no time.
    Origin ID: A_Bearded_Geek
  • invisiblgirlinvisiblgirl Posts: 1,709 Member
    Sindocat wrote: »
    Unless you are actively pursuing green strategies, things will tend toward neutral. I had to take steps, because I was using my sims' (safely upgraded!) fireplaces, which started to tip things toward industrial. I did manage to swing New Old Hensford back toward Green.

    Makes sense; another reason to disable footprints. I find the same thing happens in the other English town; Britechester, where every fireplace makes the place go smoggy in no time.

    Yes, even if you don't use the fireplace, and only have it for atmosphere. It would be nice to have an eco-upgrade available to make the fireplaces electric. I've been using them a lot in CL - seems more realistic and adds a bit of challenge not to have central heating.

    In any case, I've had a terrible time getting any location to stay green, no matter what I do. I had one neighbourhood in Mt Komorebi that went green and stayed there, but usually, the best I can do is get a neighbourhood on the tipping point: every twelve hours, it shifts from green to neutral, or back. That becomes highly annoying - I'd just as soon it went neutral.
    I just want things to match. :'(
  • BeardedgeekBeardedgeek Posts: 5,520 Member
    Sindocat wrote: »
    Unless you are actively pursuing green strategies, things will tend toward neutral. I had to take steps, because I was using my sims' (safely upgraded!) fireplaces, which started to tip things toward industrial. I did manage to swing New Old Hensford back toward Green.

    Makes sense; another reason to disable footprints. I find the same thing happens in the other English town; Britechester, where every fireplace makes the place go smoggy in no time.

    Yes, even if you don't use the fireplace, and only have it for atmosphere. It would be nice to have an eco-upgrade available to make the fireplaces electric. I've been using them a lot in CL - seems more realistic and adds a bit of challenge not to have central heating.

    In any case, I've had a terrible time getting any location to stay green, no matter what I do. I had one neighbourhood in Mt Komorebi that went green and stayed there, but usually, the best I can do is get a neighbourhood on the tipping point: every twelve hours, it shifts from green to neutral, or back. That becomes highly annoying - I'd just as soon it went neutral.

    Electric or alcohol based. You can get them here, if you just want it for atmosphere. An insert for your fireplace that burns alcohol and have such clean emissions you don't even need a functioning chimney (no risk for poisoning).
    Origin ID: A_Bearded_Geek
  • Amapola76Amapola76 Posts: 1,904 Member
    I hate it so much that fireplaces contribute to an industrial rating. Yet another middle finger to all the players who want to try to do historical saves.
  • SharoniaSharonia Posts: 4,853 Member
    edited October 2021
    I had the same issue with the eco footprint going into the green very fast in Henford, I just thought maybe it was because of all the crops.
  • Monet11Monet11 Posts: 1,420 Member
    I have found that if I change the wallpaper and flooring to the "green" friendly styles in all the houses, it makes a difference. But who wants to do that? I like the "industrial" styles better. I have turned off the eco footprint in all my games.
  • SimmervilleSimmerville Posts: 11,644 Member
    I guess playing just 1 simday won't do much harm permanently, because you will affect the environment in a more steady direction over time. Playing other houses within the hood might help, too. Unless you rebuilt the cottage and used mostly bad stuff? In my game Bramblewood and Henford both became very green immediately, but then I play most lots and thy all do rather environment friendly stuff. They all have fireplaces though, which is bad, but growin g plants etc might make up for it.
    Simmerville on Youtube | My blog is updated weekly: Simmerville's Sims<br>a.jpg
  • SimmervilleSimmerville Posts: 11,644 Member
    Amapola76 wrote: »
    I hate it so much that fireplaces contribute to an industrial rating. Yet another middle finger to all the players who want to try to do historical saves.

    All m y HoB households have fireplaces, and they seem to be lit most of the time. Still 2 of 3 hoods are in the green.
    Simmerville on Youtube | My blog is updated weekly: Simmerville's Sims<br>a.jpg
  • WildIrishBansheeWildIrishBanshee Posts: 2,104 Member
    Landscaping seems to have the largest impact in my save, I'm pretty much perma-green no matter what I do lol
  • mightyspritemightysprite Posts: 5,808 Member
    Yes, all you need are a few garden plants if you want to send the eco footprint greenward again, @Beardedgeek

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  • invisiblgirlinvisiblgirl Posts: 1,709 Member
    Yes, all you need are a few garden plants if you want to send the eco footprint greenward again, @Beardedgeek

    Hmph. That never works for me. I'll have loads of plants - both the planted and landscaping variety - and they don't matter a bit.
    I just want things to match. :'(
  • BeardedgeekBeardedgeek Posts: 5,520 Member
    Yes, all you need are a few garden plants if you want to send the eco footprint greenward again, @Beardedgeek

    Hmph. That never works for me. I'll have loads of plants - both the planted and landscaping variety - and they don't matter a bit.

    Yeah, my experience is that you have to push the limits and it is almost impossible anyway. Unless you turn footprint "off" (" " is right since the mechanic is still going in the background unless you uninstall the pack!! Typical EA). In that case all worlds everywhere slowly turns green and you cannot stop it!!.

    I have had a house with over 20 garden plants, 6-7 big trees, 12 (!) solar panels, 6 (!) wind turbines and only green footprint materials in the house and it never goes fully green for more than an occasional day, mostly hovering mid way between green and neutral.

    It doesn't help that virtually no eco friendly materials are good looking. Basically all good looking build and buy materials and objects such as windows are either neutral or more often Industrial. EA really wants us to only build ugly houses I guess?
    Origin ID: A_Bearded_Geek
  • WildIrishBansheeWildIrishBanshee Posts: 2,104 Member
    I've had great luck with the hedges if that helps? I use the Starter Hedge as fencing around my sims property - but even just doing an odd spot really ups the footprint for me. Or the ones from Island Living. Most of my lots only have like 2-3 trees tops. Some don't even have any of the Eco stuff - windmills, solar panels et al.
  • kaiwrysimskaiwrysims Posts: 1,532 Member
    I've had great luck with the hedges if that helps? I use the Starter Hedge as fencing around my sims property - but even just doing an odd spot really ups the footprint for me. Or the ones from Island Living. Most of my lots only have like 2-3 trees tops. Some don't even have any of the Eco stuff - windmills, solar panels et al.

    I have one household that turned green and it doesn't have any solar panels etc. Or green wallpapers or flooring. I guess it's the plants but I replaced some in debug and it still stayed green. It's very frustrating because I use a lot of plants in all my builds and this is the only one that seemed to go green.

    I still need to play with the pack more but I did get a mod called called basemental eco hacks which gives you the option to pause footprint for certain lots or neighborhoods and even slow it down if it changes too fast. I used it in Port promise to keep it Industrial.

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  • StormkeepStormkeep Posts: 7,632 Member
    I know this is an old thread that hasn't had a comment in a couple of months, but I didn't want to start a completely new thread on a topic that was already being discussed.

    I have had a green eco footprint in Old New Henford since shortly after moving a played household there about 40 game days ago. Since then, however, I've had members of the family go on 2 different destination vacations. Once to Granite Falls and once to Sulani. Both times, the eco footprint of Old New Henford reset to neutral upon returning.

    Is it supposed to "forget" the eco footprint of an active household's lot when you go on a destination vacation?

    It's really weird because I have two other neighborhoods which also have green footprints from other households I've played in this save, those were unaffected. Only the one neighborhood which has the homelot specifically of the household which took vacation was rolled back to neutral.

    Also, just something not mentioned in this thread which also pushes a neighborhood to green and is super easy. Don't leave lights on, set them to auto light. It actually makes a significant difference both in the rate of moving toward green and also on electricity useage.
    This post will be edited by StormKeep at some point.
    2c2ab3785fad83173d9a155efa4afd1fc99b9595.jpg
    The Winters family Tree --- My Mods
  • ModerateOspreyModerateOsprey Posts: 4,875 Member
    Thanks for bumping this thread. Interesting read.

    I have only owned EL and CL for a short time and have hardly dented either pack. I have done just enough in EL to work out the mechanics and have been playing in HOB quite a bit since. As I have also just added Seasons, I started the game in Fall and have gone round all the houses and made sure their fires were lit and put in thermostats and got the homes toasty ready for winter. I am hoping that smog hits this world and is my gameplay intention, so I can have some eco sims put em right.

    I did this as I live in the English countryside and this would be pretty true to life. When you have a small group of houses in a valley here and everyone cranks up their heating, lights their fires and starts burning piles of leaves for good measure. And, you can also add in bonfires in early November, then you can forget any notion of fresh country air.

    Even worse, if the air is still and there is the right temperature gradient, then all this smoke hangs around in the valley bottom sometimes for days with each day's fires, etc adding to it.
    Awake.
    Shake dreams from your hair
    My pretty child, my sweet one.
    Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
    The day's divinity....
    The Ghost Song - Jim Morrison
  • StormkeepStormkeep Posts: 7,632 Member
    @ModerateOsprey, I grew up in rural Wisconsin....deep woods rural, and I hear you about the smoke fires. Pretty much everyone had to have fireplaces and/or wood-burning stoves in their homes because in Winter the power could get knocked out by ice storms and be out for days. We also had to do burns every fall, not just leaves, but also all the many twigs and branches that fell onto the lawn and pastures over the spring, summer and fall.
    It was a very hilly area, so the smoke would just hang in the valley communities. I rather liked the smell, much more of a natural smelling smoke than the cities I have lived in. :lol:

    As for getting your own communities to move toward industrial, it goes fastest if you also avoid the "green" things. So set lights indoors to be always on rather than auto-lit, don't have a garden, etc. All of my homes in Henford-on-Bagley have multiple fireplaces, but with auto-lights enabled and a garden, they all have slowly drifted toward green.
    This post will be edited by StormKeep at some point.
    2c2ab3785fad83173d9a155efa4afd1fc99b9595.jpg
    The Winters family Tree --- My Mods
  • ModerateOspreyModerateOsprey Posts: 4,875 Member
    @Stormkeep Aye, I have to confess to liking the smell as well, but I am sure its not good for you!

    Hmm, avoiding gardens is going to be tricky. Yup, keeping the lights on, that works. Folk round here seem to like their security lights as well, so I can pop some of those in.

    We need 'muck spreaders' for cold still days as well. A muck spreader is a tractor attachment that spreads cow muck on the fields. Lends a very particular tang to the air :grin:
    Awake.
    Shake dreams from your hair
    My pretty child, my sweet one.
    Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
    The day's divinity....
    The Ghost Song - Jim Morrison
  • StormkeepStormkeep Posts: 7,632 Member
    Maybe add a generator to all the homes that you want a garden on too. Saves the household some money on bills, and helps tip it to industrial. It also seems like a reasonable thing to have in a rural environment.

    And yes, I'm familiar with muck spreaders. I grew up on a horse ranch (we bred, boarded, and showed them) and it takes a LOT of hay to keep horses fed through the winter when you have a lot of them. I have done my share of work in the fields, including driving the tractor with a manure spreader attached. We did it after every hay harvest.
    This post will be edited by StormKeep at some point.
    2c2ab3785fad83173d9a155efa4afd1fc99b9595.jpg
    The Winters family Tree --- My Mods
  • ModerateOspreyModerateOsprey Posts: 4,875 Member
    Generators - excellent idea :)

    Both my daughter and I ride. Dales ponies, rather than horses. Utterly fantastic animals.

    Your area seems to share a lot with mine. Being England, it is quite small scale of course. Mainly dairy herd in the valleys and sheep on the higher moorland .
    Awake.
    Shake dreams from your hair
    My pretty child, my sweet one.
    Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
    The day's divinity....
    The Ghost Song - Jim Morrison
  • BoergeAarg61BoergeAarg61 Posts: 949 Member
    It is measured for the whole world. Your lot has a neutral footprint if it's footprint is similar to other lots in the world.
  • ModerateOspreyModerateOsprey Posts: 4,875 Member
    It is measured for the whole world. Your lot has a neutral footprint if it's footprint is similar to other lots in the world.

    Ah, I have been assuming it is on the neighborhood level. I play rotationaly so I have been adjusting each lot as I play them. Looks like I am going to have widen my rotation.
    Awake.
    Shake dreams from your hair
    My pretty child, my sweet one.
    Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
    The day's divinity....
    The Ghost Song - Jim Morrison
  • StormkeepStormkeep Posts: 7,632 Member
    edited January 2022
    It is measured for the whole world. Your lot has a neutral footprint if it's footprint is similar to other lots in the world.

    Ah, I have been assuming it is on the neighborhood level. I play rotationaly so I have been adjusting each lot as I play them. Looks like I am going to have widen my rotation.

    That should still work fine. I have only played on 3 lots in my current save game and have had no problems moving the neighborhoods of each of those lots in the direction that I wanted, and I even use a mod that slows down the rate of eco change. Neighborhoods where you haven't actually played an active household in don't even get their eco rating calculated by the game.
    This post will be edited by StormKeep at some point.
    2c2ab3785fad83173d9a155efa4afd1fc99b9595.jpg
    The Winters family Tree --- My Mods
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