The Uniform Project

Have you ever heard of The Uniform Project? I first learned about it through one of my favorite websites.

One of the comments I wrote about the website was....

1. Posted by Sheena - 06/13/2009
   I actually really like the project. Even if its not completely sustainable, or someone has done it before, or there are better ways to go about doing it….I really like it. Its creative and inspires me to think of ways in which I could simplify my wardrobe. I won’t wear the same dress for a year but it makes me realize I can do a lot more with all the pieces in my wardrobe. So if this has prevented me from buying another dress because I’m thinking of new ways to wear the ones I already have, then unclutterer has succeeded in being helpful to me. Plus the girl is just so adorable and while some of the outfits are crazy, many of them are just too cute! I want that black dress!
   
   First, I must mentioned the woman behind the Uniform Project has the same name as me, SHEENA! Yea!
   
   
   One of the reasons for this project is to raise money for school children. But I like the sustainable implications. Can you take one dress from your wardrobe in wear it in seven different ways? After following The Uniform for quite some time, I was inspired to look at my clothes in a new way. Perhaps if I layered things or added accessories I could find a new way to wear something.
   
   And it works.
   
   But first, back to Sheena from U.P. Here are some of my favorites of hers. (Look at her site and see some of her creative or crazy outfits. I can't believe it's almost been a year!)
   
   
    
   
   
   My favorite is the one with the hat! So so cool!
   Eventually the black dress which can be worn both ways will be for sale. I will definitely be purchasing it. Sheena borrowed friends accessories until her site became so popular that people were donating accessories for her to try.  At one point, she asked that people stop sending accessories. She even had an event where she put the accessories up for auction to raise more money.
   
   
   So with her encouragement I have tried mixing things up with my clothes.
   
   
   
    
   This white dress has been in my closet for over a year with the price tag still on it. I was never able to wear it to work because its spaghetti strapped and the cut is pretty low. And I just never had an occasion to wear it during the summer. But after some creative layering, its not one of my favorite things to wear to work. Now I need to try it with some other color than black!
   
    
   One of my favorite dresses but because its sleeveless, its limited to certain seasons. Or not! I add a long sleeve tshirt, leggings, and even knee length socks with boots. And now I can even rock the dress in the winter!
   
    
   Another sleeveless dress that works for the winter by adding a long sleeve tshirt, leggings and boots.
   
    
   And one of my favorite shirt/dresses..Its more a shirt at this point. But with leggings it doesn't matter. So with this one I went color crazy. Green leggings. Orange leg warmers. Brown boots.
   But sometimes I wear the shirt with jeans.
   Or just with brown leggings and boots.
   
   
   But even still, that's three different outfits.
   
   
   So I encourage you to mix and match.
   
   
   Right now I am living out of three suitcases while the rest of my belongings including my clothes are in storage somewhere in New Jersey. I'm pretty much stuck to the three suitcases and I really don't want to buy more stuff. Therefore, I've been trying some pretty different looks with the clothes that I have. Who knew layers, leggings, and accessories could give you a whole new look.
   
   
   
    
   
   
   Associates at work actually thought this was a new dress because of the belt. And I wear the dress a lot. A least once a week but this time with the new accessories I was frequently asked if this was a new dress!
   When you can't find anything to wear do you shop for something new, borrow from a friend, or try old clothes in a completely new way? Any ideas for other ways and colors and styles I can try to make my limited wardrobe fresh and new. (Also do you notice a theme...I love dresses!)
   
   

Can I put Eco-Stage Manager on my resume? :)

While I'm still trying to articulate my views of socio-political theater and its interception with eco-drama, I have found other ways that I am able to incorporate granola tendencies into my theatrical adventures.

First, every stage manager must have a physical prompt book. While you may argue the merit of such a need and highlight all the ways we could get around a physical one that requires paper, I just don't believe it. I have seen too many challenges during a show that shows a necessity for having this physical book.

I worked on a show as an Assistant Stage Manager where the Stage Manager heavily relied on his computer to run the show. His action script and master cue list were on his laptop. Hmmm. Let me count all the ways something went wrong.

1. One night he forgot to charge the laptop and had left the charger somewhere else. Therefore, computer dead.
2. One day, the document just wouldn't open.
3. Another time...he left the laptop somewhere.

And whenever these mishaps would happen, low and behold...I had my prompt book that had the info we needed.

So being that I need a prompt book, I've approached the process of creating one in a granola kind of way.

Instead of preprinting most of my prompt book contents which include forms, calendars and scripts amongst other things, I have done majority of the work on my laptop until I have a final draft ready to print. The action script changes constantly. Someone was just taken off the contacts list. And so the story goes. So, if I've been able to wait to print it, I've done so. Each night I send a rehearsal report and I usually print it out and add it to the binder. The report is only one page long. So instead of printing one page each night. I wait until I have a chunk and print them double sided. (I wouldn't recommend using scrap paper. Its sort of a stage manager's portfolio and needs to be professional looking. You wouldn't print your final resume on scrap paper, would you.) When I have printed, I've also printed on 100% post consumer recycled content paper.

Sometimes I need scrap paper, just because I'm standing, I'm moving. I'm here, I'm there. The director is giving me 100 notes, an actor ask for this...and I can't hold my laptop and type it and I've tried using my cell phone to type it out too. Just doesn't work. So for scrap paper, I did something. Because I was notorious for pre-printing my prompt books and sometimes printing things that I didn't end up needing, I was able to make a stack of paper that can now be used as scrap.

Also, by purging my old SM prompt books I came across many generic forms that were blank and now I will be able to reuse them in the future. I have a stack of forms that I didn't use three shows ago, that are perfect for this show. So instead of tossing them, or letting them sit in a cabinet collecting dust and space, I'm able to actually use them.

In rehearsal there are some other things, either the performers do or the theater does that tend to be a bit more granola.

Redmoon Theater is notorious for being innovative, creative, and engineering wonder! That have all sort of contraptions and crazy things and many of them are home-made. Instead of purchasing these items, most of them are created in right in their shop, such as the swan headdresses.

Credit courtesy of Redmoon Central on Facebook.

Redmoon is also great with reusing items. (Theaters in general are great for this. Usually it has to do with financial reasons but its also a granola reason.) I've worked with Redmoon on numerous shows and many objects, puppets, contraptions, and things are reused, repurposed, upcycled and then used for something else.

This photo I took myself. It highlights two things. The clouds are something we may be using in this year's Winter Pageant and they were also something we used last year as well. While they are both two different shows with different moments throughout, sometimes they find ways to reuse a great object.

This photo also shows the car. You probably can't tell but that car is made of paper mache. Most of it aside from the part that makes it actually move and such. But the body of it or the outside (I don't know car vocabulary)...but the outside is made of paper mache.


And the other day on the objects/props table I came across a crazy wonderful looking puppet made from electrical tape! Its hair was made of old newspaper. (A picture will be posted of it eventually). So they are able to make objects, contraptions and puppets from regular "household" items. Tape. Newspaper, Paper, Glue.

I love that!
 

In this picture, a performer is experimenting during a moment in the fall. The paper on the floor represents leaves until we receive the real prop sometime soon. This rehearsal prop of ripped up paper is used pretty much each night. Instead of using new paper each night to work this moment, we sweep up the paper and reload it into the suitcase. Now sometimes some of the pieces of paper get wet..because there is water in the show and bubbles. Or sometimes they get really dirty because its the floor and the theater is inside a warehouse...so occasionally we have to throw some of them out. But, majority of it is reused each night.

So these are just some of the ways that we have been practicing granola tendencies while rehearsing for Winter Pageant at Redmoon Central. I acknowledge there are some big picture ideas on how theaters can be eco friendly such as in stage lighting, electrical use, huge scale recycling and such but that's a post for another day.

Do you have tips on other ways we can practice granola tendencies? How else can I as a stage manager incorporate green practices into my artistic work without sacrificing my professionalism or the quality of work I produce?

The Granola That I Am

A few of my most recent granola tendencies.... (as mentioned before, if I keep going down this path, you might actually catch me hugging a tree)

REUSING

On Sunday I brought a small brown paper bag of fruit to rehearsal for the actors. Once they had consumed the fruit, I folded the bag back up, put it in my bookbag and took it back home with me. Its now under my sink with my collection of bags.

On the same table with the crumpled brown bag, there were also two zip lock bags from the week before that had been filled with almonds and cashews. The bags were now empty and ripe and ready for the trash. Instead of tossing them, I put them back in my bag, took them home and washed them, dried them and put them with the rest of my ziplock bags.

On this same Sunday, we ordered Thai food. (I ordered Spicy Basil with Tofu. It could classify as vegan. It contained no dairy) The container that the food came in was definitely reusable! So dirty container and all, I stuffed that in my bookbag too and took it home, washed it and then used it to store my left over vegan black bean soup in. (vegan except for the scoop of yogurt i added into it. oops)

What have you extended the life cycle of lately?

ECO CONSCIOUS EATING


In considering my carbon food print, the waste I produce, and intriguing leaning towards a vegan lifestyle...today I did some things differently.

I walked past this candy bowl a BILLION times today. This one and one other one that is being kept around the office in preparation for our Oktoberfest this Friday.

It started at 8 am thing morning and I literally slapped my hand away. Man I wanted that twix and that snickers in the lower right hand corner. It has my name on it. But guess what....insert sad sigh here...I grabbed a pear instead. Yes, Sheena actually grabbed a freaking piece of fruit. I figured it was healthier. Plus our fruit is organic. And it yielded less waste than the snickers and twix. If only we had a composter at work. We'd be in serious business with all the coffee grounds and other organic matter we have in the trash there.

What I like, since participating in the No Impact Project, is that even though I ate the pear, I wondered if it was even in season. It's not in season in Illinois but it is in one of our bordering states...Missouri. (Honestly, I wouldn't have even asked myself if the fruit I was eating was even in season a week ago. Before I would have thought, I'm eating fruit so shut up and be grateful its not a pop tart. But now, with what i know, I find that I wonder beyond that. Knowledge really is powerful. Now I'm sounding like a freaking PSA)

This morning I also really wanted a nice cup of coffee. We have this K cup machine at work with lots of flavors and I was planning on mixing Mocha Nut Fudge with Rainforest Nut. Then I was going to add sugar, cream, whip cream and caramel. I was going to do it big. But then I thought about the Low Carbon Calculator Diet and I didn't make the coffee. Instead I had Sweet Ginger Peach Tea. I added honey instead of sugar since I didn't feel like generating more trash with little sugar packets. (However the tea comes in individual boxes that are wrapped in plastic. Really! So I thought about bringing my own loose leaf tea in from now on because that's even less trash. My loose leaf tea is purchased from Teavana and various tea vendors that I come across at street fairs and green festivals. Again, these are not things I even gave thought to before last week.) I realize now its not just about eating healthy and organic, but its also about eating with an eco-conscious mindset. Sure, the coffee is fair trade but have you considered the water it took to produce it? Have you considered how far it needed to travel? Asking myself these questions is growth and I'm glad its all circling through my mind.


WATER

I recently wrote about my struggles with finding ways to reduce my water usage and a dear friend, Erin gave me a very helpful suggestion. My problem was letting the water run for a long time in the mornings to warm up before I brush my teeth and wash my face because its ICE COLD! Erin suggested instead of letting it run, that I microwave it and use that. She suggested rinsing my mouth with the water that was left over. Honestly, I thought that was going to take too much time and take too much effort. And while I want to help the world, the selfish part of me doesn't want to be inconvenienced while I do so. Well ERIN....

What the hell is that, you ask!

Well the clear bowl is the water I heated up in the microwave for two minutes. It was enough to brush my teeth, rinse my mouth, wash my face and water my plants. It worked Erin! And I didn't waste any water!!!!! Thank You for giving me advice!!!!!!

What's that other stuff? Well the cream cheese container is actually full of my homemade tea tree face toner. The little bottle on top is full of my left over homemade face wash that I made the other day. I need to find a recipe for an all natural face moisturizer equivalent to the one I get from the Body Shop.

(Which by the way in the tally in how much I spend on my facial line from the body shop, I left out two things. The moisturize which is $16. And the make up remover which is $14.50. Which brings the total to $81. I spend $81 on all the stuff I used to buy for my face. WOW!)


TRASH

I noticed this at the end of the day today.

What is that, you ask!

That is one piece of trash in my garbage at work! That is a personal record. Usually my trash is overflowing so much that I sneak and throw stuff in other people's trash too. Usually its full of misprints from printing too much. Its full of wrappings from candy and gum. It's usually full of sugar packets from all the ones I put in my coffee. And I can't even tell you what else. Its just usually full of crap. And today, I almost threw a bag away but realized I could still reuse it and as I looked down I thought, "Holy crap! There is only one thing in my garbage!"

Its a piece of tissue that I used as a coaster because my reusable water bottle was sweating on my desk next to my iPhone and I was too lazy to find an empy conference room that might have coasters. I looked around me and saw a number of people using napkins as coasters and so I started looking for some coasters to order to keep around people's desk. The bag that I decided to keep...

....it made its way into my drawer where I keep all my left over bags.

What are you latest granola tendencies? Any suggestions on further steps I can take?