Sustainability City

Sustainability City
Map maker(s)	Minecraft
Price	Free
Release date	BE: January 28, 2021
Website page	Sustainability City in Minecraft Marketplace
Article	"Earth Day" – Minecraft.net.

This feature is exclusive to Bedrock Edition and Minecraft Education.

“	Explore a sustainable neighborhood in Minecraft! Investigate sustainable water treatment, responsible forestry, clean power generation, energy efficiency, waste disposal, and recycling. Visit each area to learn more about the path to sustainability!	„
	— Minecraft Marketplace description

Sustainability City, also known as Sustainability Town, is a Minecraft Education map designed to teach renewable resources.^[1] It can also be played through the Marketplace.

Summary

The map begins inside a classroom, with upturned stairs for desks, a chalkboard on a brick wall, and a teacher. Interacting with them gives six choices for different lessons. Upon selecting one, orange particles appear beside the door, leading to the setting of the lesson. If the player wishes to return to the classroom, in the inventory is an item that can teleport them back, alongside a stack of steak and a written book giving additional tips.

Welcome to Sustainability Town!

TIPS

-The teacher can send you on lessons.

-Follow the sparkles when on a lesson.

-Interact with people to talk to them and move the lesson along.

-You have a blackboard in your hotbar, you can use it to return to the classroom.

-There are electric busses in each area, you can use them to travel around town.

Outside the classroom is an alleyway of smooth stone, with an office directly opposing the building holding the class, containing a desk and sea lanterns inside, and three sets of oak doors. Behind both is a playground, with a jungle gym made of recycled wood and a nearby stone slab. Beside it is a swingset, made of similar materials with added iron bars and slabs. Standing on the seats give one second of levitation to replicate swinging. At the edge of the playground is a teeter totter, which dynamically turns relative to a player's position. All three installations have nearby signs crediting them for being made of recycled materials.

Food Production

Food Production is a short walk to the left, into a market building with "fruit blocks" displayed in windows. Inside is an NPC named Where does your food come from? They ask the question again, and wonders if there is a farm anywhere. After finishing the interaction, players are led to the back, near honey bottles, to an NPC named Produce Clerk. Saying "don't tell the boss but I'll let you through here," players can leave the building and travel across the street to a farmer NPC's house. The farmer greets the player and lets them into the house.

Entering through dark oak doors, players are led down a hallway, past a living room with a brick fireplace and kitchen with shulker box fridge, out into a farm. If the player is interested, they can also explore a three story house, with beds and chests on the second floor and barrels in the attic. Outside on a bridge is an NPC named Agricultural Runoff, who explains irrigation, and points the player to two NPCs named Irrigation Tech by a large machine watering carrot crops. Behind them is another NPC, Cover Crops, amongst several ferns on farmland, and after speaking to them the player is led to two NPCs named Crop Rotation. Speaking to the second NPC causes the time to flux, rapidly shifting between day and night as crops are grown and replaced. Not far from there is an NPC named Compost Spreading, standing before a tractor dispelling compost.

An NPC labeled simply Compost stands behind a fence, standing in front of a large pile of compost, who suggests the player to follow a series of trucks to "see how compost is made." Beside the trucks is an NPC, What is Compost?, who greets the player and welcomes them to the Composting Facility. Amongst compost is an NPC named Finished Compost, who explains the windrow has been sitting for 12 weeks and only now finished. Another NPC, near podzol windrows, named Windrows stands behind them, and talking to them leads to Mixing and Aeration, Decomposition, Shredding, and finally Biosolids, who transports the player to another facility.

Water Treatment

Water Treatment is a walk to the right of the classroom, beyond a crosswalk into a granite building. Players interact with an NPC named Out-flow Reclamation, who explains that the building is the "out-flow reclamation site" and that tout-flow is sink water. Another nearby NPC, Bar Screens, explains that screens are used to prevent contamination from wipes and lumber. Behind them are five NPCs standing in a line: Grit Chambers, Preventing Clogs, Primary Clarification, a second Primary Clarification, and Aeration. Around the corner are two more, Secondary Clarification and Disinfection.

After interacting with every NPC, players can progress over to a hedge of birch leaves up stairs to another NPC, Irrigation. Irrigation explains that a plant behind them is used to distribute water to a farm. Following the trail of water leads to a river, being watched by an NPC named Return to the Water System, who explains that the water is returned to the water system. Around the corner is an NPC named Bio-Solids, who after asking the player to "compost" teleports them to an area made of coarse dirt and podzol, before another NPC, Biosolids. After speaking to Biosolids, the player is sent back to Bio-Solids, concluding the lesson.

Green Building

Green Building is a short walk from the school, passing by a brick building with a nether quartz fountain and an electric bus, leading up to two NPCs. On the left is Heat, who explains energy requirements and that a nearby building is heated by pipes, and on the right is Geo-Thermal who explains how seasons affect building temperatures. Upon speaking to both NPCs, the building behind them is miraculously finished, a new trail of particles leading the player inside of the building.

After walking through a glass entrance, players must advance across a black carpeted up a small stairway, and meet an NPC labeled Wonderful Stairway. Wonderful Stairway explains the buildings stairways are surrounded by glass and made from "beautiful materials so that you can't resist climbing them." What matters is that they take less energy than elevators. Upon finishing the interaction, the player and Wonderful Stairway are transported up a flight of stairs, and a new trail of orange particles leading the player up another, where an NPC explains the greywater system. In order to progress, the player must jump into the greywater system themselves, which is right next to the NPC.

Inside the greywater system, players must swim upward into a narrow shaft lined with soul sand at the bottom, being deposited into a balcony garden. Standing guard before the garden is Synthetic Wetland, who explains how greywater is cleaned. Progressing past them is Composting Toilets, who establishes that toilet waste is transported into composters, and that these specific toilets use 96% less water than normal ones. From there players must return to the stairway, and meet the NPC Regenerating Elevator on the above floor, where they explain what a regenerator is. Inside the elevator is a red button, which when used leads to another floor, where the player meets an NPC called Lighting and Windows that explains that the exterior windows are designed to maximize natural light, reducing energy costs for artificial lights. Talking to them causes the windows to appear.

Following another trail up stairs, the player ends up on the roof of the building and meets an NPC called Heat Exchange who explains the importance of ventilation while standing in front of a visual representation using orange and cyan orbs. After that the player is tasked with climbing up scaffolding into a crane to meet with Solar Roof, who explains the goal of the building project: to produce as much energy as they use. The roof of the building is lined with solar panels that collects most of its energy in summer to use during winter. Speaking to Solar Roof again reveals the crane is ready to be dismantled, asking to "walk you out."

Sustainable Forestry

This lesson is reached across the street from the school, passing through a hedge maze. Inside the maze is an NPC named Huh?, who says they are hiding and gives the player an oak planks block after being spoken to. Opposite the school and maze is a lumber yard, where an NPC named Lumber Yard welcomes the player. At the end of the mill is another NPC named Lumber Yard, who says they store lumber in the facility. Behind them is a stairway with wooden slabs, near several extra tall spruce saplings, at the top an NPC named Sustainable Forestry and Management Cycle. The latter demonstrates the 40-year life cycle of trees, causing 40 years to occur within a moment.

After watching that unfold, the player walks up a road to an NPC named Conservation, who recommends an overlook of the town at the end of a trail. Passing through a nature trail of spruce trees, tall grass, a poppy, and stone, at the top is a hiker, complementing the view. After speaking to them, players are led back to the road, where a Hectares rests. Speaking to them, the lesson is finished.

Energy Efficient Housing

In order to reach this lesson, players must take a bus, selecting the House option. Appearing at a house, players can approach an NPC named Sustainable Materials beside slabs and gravel, explaining the use of renewable resources from previous lessons. Another NPC, Energy Efficient Housing, explains their plan to build a new house with less impact on the environment. The proceeding trail of particles lead into the house, with an NPC explaining drains off the path, and an NPC named Insulation at the end. On the second floor is an NPC named Ventilation, and two more NPCs both named Window Film and Smart Blinds. Speaking to them adds window film to the walls, represented by trapdoors, and binds, represented by closing the trapdoor while time cycles around them.

Dropping down onto the ground, players climb scaffolding up to an NPC named Passive Energy Collection, working on solar panels on a roof. After speaking to them, players enter into the house through a hole in the roof, passing into a pink wool floored room down a ladder into another room before climbing scaffolding down to an NPC named Furnace, standing near two blast furnaces. Pulling a lever turn on the furnace.

Power Grid

Much like the fifth lesson, this mission begins by having to use the bus. Players arrive at a large curved, slanted building made of gray concrete, with the NPC Hydro-Electric Power standing outside, holding a book, who welcomes the player into a power plant, inviting the player inside. At the top of a cold set of stairs is an NPC named Penstock, Reservoir, and Turbine, who explains penstocks, reservoirs, and turbines. Slightly above is the NPC called Mechanical Energy, who explains nearby spinning gears. Through an acacia door lies a bridge with the NPC Generator, and slightly elevated is an optional second Generator.

Passing by Generator leads to the NPC Pumped Storage, standing inside a room full of machines. At the end of the room is a balcony with the NPC Clean Energy, directing the player up to a wind turbine. Climbing a ladder, players can be explained how wind power works, by an NPC named Wind Power. After speaking to them, a trail of particles lead the player up a ladder, however another NPC, Power Grid, lays slightly out of view by a stairway below the ladder. At the top is an NPC named How does wind make Electricity? who gives the players instructions to climb up and press a button. Pressing the button requires sneaking on the edge of blocks of iron against a wall, before the player returns to Power Grid and has to summon a minecart to ride across a power grid.

Riding across the electrical lines leads the player to Water Treatment Plant, who can summon an additional minecart if needed. Continuing on the path leads to Sustainable Farming, Waste to Energy Plant, and Energy Efficient House, with similar capabilities. Ultimately, players reach Landfill Bioreactor, who recommends climbing down to the ground to "find a very interesting way of returning energy to the grid." Following a trail of particles on the ground leads to three NPCs named Decomposition, Aerobic Bioreactor, and Methane Gas Collection, standing in front of a bioreactor emitting green smoke out of non-recyclable materials. Upon interacting with them, players can return to the line, and meet Green City, who directs the player to Waste to Energy Plant.

Once again climbing down, players arrive in a paved area, meeting Collection Bunkers before a large animated claw, who tells the player to head inside to learn more about energy power. Climbing up a walkway, the player can find Furnace Hoppers, Incineration, Boiler, More to Learn, Air Scrubbers, and Closed Water System. Climbing down a ladder by Boiler, players can meet Steam Power, then climb up and find Energy Surplus.

History

Bedrock Edition
January 28, 2021							Sustainability City is released on the Marketplace.

Trivia

The version of the map available on the Marketplace is programmed to emulate a version of Bedrock Edition 1.11.0, as such bee nests are replaced by info_update blocks.