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The Eco-Friendly Trait

Ambitions has introduced a number of new traits, but so far I have only explored Eco-Friendly very far.   When I first saw it on the list I thought, "Neat!" Because I am eco-friendly, myself.  But after having played an Eco-Friendly Sim for a while, I am not as enamored of this trait.

Eco-Friendly is a surprisingly elaborate trait, with a lot of associated moodlets and actions.  Sims with the Eco-Friendly trait can fix "Organic ____" where you fill in the blank with any food item.  (Organic Mac and Cheese, Organic Goopy Carbonara, whatever.)  

The meals don't sparkle, and they don't seem to fill you up faster, so I'm guessing the "organic" in this case is just a silly modifier.  Similar to the way that Daredevil Sims can play "Extreme Chess," or go to "Extreme Sleep."

Here are some of the moodlets I noted in my Eco-Friendly Sim:


Negative

-20 for 30 minutes, for "using an inefficient washer" (the cheap washing machine)
-20 for 30 minutes, for "driving alone" (taking a car without a second person)
-20 for 30 minutes for "wasting water" (taking a bath instead of a shower)

Positive

+25 for 3 hours for "saving electricity" (using a clothesline instead of the dryer)
+30 for 3 hours for "recycling" (putting trash in the recycle bin instead of the trash can)

As you can see, the positive moodlets are stronger than the negative moodlets, with a greater mood effect of +25 or +30 compared to negative moodlets of -20.  Positive moodlets also last longer - usually 3 hours, compared to the negative moodlets, which usually last 30 minutes.  

On the up side, it's very easy to satisfy an Eco-Friendly Sim.  Just delete the bathtub and replace it with a shower, and you're guaranteed at least one +25 moodlet for the day.  

Regarding the laundry, obviously you will want to buy the nicer washing machine.  (This is one case where there is a clear benefit to buying the expensive washing machine.)   I would recommend replacing your dryer with several clotheslines, since the clotheslines take many hours to dry your clothes.  Each clothesline holds only one load of laundry, so it's easy to fall behind.  As a general rule of thumb, I would say you want at least one clothesline per household member.

As for the "driving alone" moodlet, it's impractical to expect a Sim to always take along a companion.  I haven't experimented with this yet, but I would recommend trying to make your Sim use a bicycle.  You can also buy a scooter in France, which your Sim may prefer to using the car.  

And of course there is always the taxi.  I wonder if an Eco-Friendly Sim would consider a taxi to be a shared ride?  (Even though the carbon footprint is worse than that of a car, since the taxi has to make two trips for each call, whereas your own car only has to make one.)  

It's interesting to fiddle around with the various options and see what actions produce which moodlets.  But in the end, this is a trait which offer fewer benefits than some traits, and is a lot more annoying than others.

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