We resume our blog with a shout out to the Uniform Project and their love of the Earth every day!

Sheena and her LBD on April 21, 2010

What do you get when you take one black dress, one committed fashionista with a passion for the planet and education?

Simple, the Uniform Project.

Starting with a quest to conquer sustainable fashion Sheena Mathieken decided to spend one year, 365 days, in one dress. Sheena took the concept of the ever fashionable little black dress to a whole new level. In order to be 100% fashionably sustainable all the accessories worn throughout the year were donated by previous owners!

! In addition she asked people to support her by donating to Akanksha and supporting education in India.

Now in its final month, you can check out photos of all the ways she wore the dress over this past year, continue to donate to the cause and even buy your own sustainable LBD.

What: Switch is MTV's international initiative for eco-positive living!
Who: YOU! We're seeking out seven strong writers from all around the world to research and write one blog/week for one year. The blogs can range in topic but should be positive, fun, light-hearted, inspiring and entertaining.
Reward: Bylines! Bylines! Bylines!
How to Apply: Write a sample blog (200-300 words) then send it to sarah.quill@mtvnmix by June 15th. Include a current photo of yourself and a short introduction to who you are and what you're all about!
.com

A prison in the Andes Mountains of South America might not be the image that comes to mind when you think of eco-friendly living. But a group of imprisoned women in Ayachucho, Peru are turning that assumption on its head as they get to work building solar-powered ovens. The new initiative, led by Martha Dudenhoeffer and her team of Cross Cultural Solutions volunteers, is helping provide resources for these ladies to help themselves. Many of the prisoners make their own food and with no access to kitchens, the pickings get pretty meager. However, as Ayacucho is right on the border it does provide an excess of one wonderful power source: sunlight! Solar ovens require only sunshine to work… they don’t use any fuel and they don’t cost anything to power. Check out the photos below and see for yourself: anybody can change their corner of the world, no matter what their challenges!   

-Carina Kolodny

Wanna take your eco-friendly obsession "all the way?" I recently stumbled on a concept that totally blew my mind!

I was chatting with a friend and he started telling me that he and his girlfriend had made a pact to have an eco-friendly sex life. "Wait. HOLD ON!"  I said, flustered and confused. "What’s so eco-dangerous about sex?"

Apparently a lot.

Between fossil fuel based lubes and toxic sex toys, it would seem that greening up your sex life has a lot of positive potential. Luckily for all of us, companies from all around the world are responding to this eco-need by creating fun and innovative sex products. But where (or how) to start?

Try a vegan or organic lubricant, such as the full line by yesyesyes.org They boast that their lubes are good for you and good for the environment without sacrificing any performance quality.

As for Condoms? Here’s a fun factoid: the government of Brazil recently built a condom factory! What’s their aim? Using rubber from trees in the Amazon to slow down deforestation AND providing free condoms to Brazil’s citizens in an effort to combat HIV/AIDS.

Probably never thought you’d be donning tree pruning scraps when you wanted to settle in with your significant other, huh? Enter Enamore. A trendy fashion company that recently introduced a line of lingerie. Their intimates are made of organic hemp, recycled fabrics and, you guessed it, tree pruning scraps!

Also worth scoping out is Earth Erotics, an online company focusing on environmentally friendly sex, has compiled an entire internet boutique chocked full of everything from organic cotton linens to animal shaped vibrators.

Have a fun time going all the way… green that is!

-Carina Kolodny

              We all have them—that huge collection of random t-shirts. Maybe you got one at your brother’s corporate picnic or they were handing them out for free at that concert or you caught it at the footie match or you bought it at the 99 cent store.

They proliferate in the back of your closet—duplicating and duplicating. You tell yourself that you’ll wear it to bed or sport it at the gym—or you accept the reality that you’ll never wear it but just can’t bare to throw it away because you wore it every day in second grade or you got it on a meaningful trip or it reminds you of your first concert.

So what can you do with the impending explosion in your closet?

Recycle it into something new!

Check out our tried-and-true eco arts n crafts:

1. Transform your T! generationt.com has tons of ideas and directions on how to cut, sew, pin, tie, braid, fray, loop etc. your old t-shirt! Turning that drab “brace face” shirt from your orthodontist into something fresh and fashionable. Some of the projects are quite intense but there are plenty that can be completed and mastered by even the most artistically challenged.
2. Ever tried your hand at quilting? Cut and sew your shirts into a pillow case or a tote bag or a huge quilt!
3. If you’re not so creatively inclined or just can’t find the time, there are multiple companies that will take your t-shirts and make the quilt for you. Try: Campus Quilt Company at campusquilt.com

-Carina Kolodny

Looking for skincare products can be such a whirlwind… There are so many companies, so many lines, and so many products. Do you need a mask or a toner or a moisturizer or a cleanser? How many lotions should you actually put on your face? And with new products that have prices reaching up towards the three digits, how much money can you really afford to spend?

The truth is, many of the things we put on our face and body are chocked full of crazy ingredients. Many of which are not so good for the environment and, not surprisingly, not so good for your skin. So it’s no wonder that eco-friendly, economic-savvy guys and girls are switching up their style with a little DIY action.

We’re going to keep giving you new beauty recipes… so check back often and give 'em a go!

Here’s a simple moisturizer that you can easily make with ingredients you already have!

You’ll need:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 beaten egg yolk
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice (depending upon how thick you want the cream)

Whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice and slowly add the olive and vegetable oils!

You’ve saved yourself some cash, you’ve given your skin a lovely snack and you’ve greened up your beauty routine. After you’ve tried the recipe, let us know what you thought by commenting below!

-Carina Kolodny

I’ve always been into adding flair to my school and work space. Plain notebooks and number two pencils have never quite been my forte. I was that kid in your class when you were eight who had six different colors of jelly pencil grips and collected farm animal eraser tops. I put glittery star stickers on my homework before I even turned it in and had the most blinding neon green pencil case anybody had ever seen. Now, as a twenty something, I would like to think that my style has evolved… at least, slightly. I’m still into all things colorful but I think I have found a more adult solution to my inherent need for sparkle. I am newly addicted to ecojot! A 100% post-consumer recycled line of paper products. They have agendas, workbooks, journals, sketchbooks, folders… The list goes on and on. And what’s better? All of the beautiful covers are made with vegetable-based, biodegradable inks. There are designs to fit everybody—from the guy who wants to play it subtle to the girl who wants to roar her love of pink whirlagigs from the rooftops.

Check out all of their products at ecojot.com

-Carina Kolodny