MTV SWITCH blog

This green mentality is all about thinking differently. What would you rather do? Turn on a light for 4 hours or throw a glass bottle into the trash instead of the recycle bin? The energy needed for that light bulb and for making a new bottle are the same. So where is the energy better spent? Okay, that might have been an easy one, but some are a bit harder because they take extra actions from you. For instance:

• Take a shower every day or take a shower every other day and save enough water over your lifetime to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool.
• Keep your thermostat at 70 instead of 69 in winter or turn it down and have about €15 extra spending money monthly.
• Continue printing on one side of pieces of paper or print on both sides and save an average of 3 trees per year.

It's spring time, which, of course, means the start of more than a few sports seasons. But if you’re tired of grabbing your baseball glove to go sit in the outfield and eat grass (maybe just a personal experience there), here are a few new sports to try that only require some space and minimal equipment.

Track Events

Get out there and get competitive. Set up sprints, triple jump, and long jump. Or add your own events, like tug of war. The winner gets bragging rights…until next time.

Ultimate Frisbee

Grab a disc and some friends for a game of ultimate Frisbee. Set up two endzones with shoes or other markers and get a game going. For rules and more info, check out the Ultimate Players’ Association (UPA).

Kickball

With a ball and a few base markers, you can start up a game of kickball. The basic rules are easy and then beyond those you can add your own.

There’s been a lot of talk about what will happen due to global warming, with predictions of both drought and flooding. But there are some stranger side effects that are interesting. For instance, did you know that more lakes will just disappear and mountains will get taller? How crazy is that?!? Check out Live Science for the top 10 unexpected results of global warming.

-Jess 

If your sneaker treads have worn down or you need a new pair of sandals for the summer, Simple Shoes may have just what you need. Comfortable footwear made from eco-friendly products is always in style. Recycled tires make awesome shoes!

As the Simple Shoe group says about their ecoSneaks, “Get them now before they get all trendy and lame.”

-Jess 

Oliver Heath is a wind-surfer turned architect and designer and his love of the outdoors has given him a unique perspective. His designs are modern and the materials are environmentally friendly. Check out the inspiration that comes from bringing elements of the outside inside without wasting natural resources. Whether looking for design ideas for a dorm, apartment, or house, his books offer great ideas and pointers.

-Jess 

The Good Human provides us with an excellent eco friendly gardening tip:

Check the weather forecasts before you water, and let mother nature water your plants on the rainy days! For more cool tips on easy energy conservation and reducing your carbon footprint, be sure to check out the Good Human site!

-Valerie 

Actually, the Preserve toothbrush by Recycline doesn’t reuse old ones, so don’t worry! It’s simply made of environmentally friendly materials so you can reduce your carbon footprint and keep your teeth shiny all at the same time!

 -Valerie