Here’s one idea I hadn’t thought of: reusing wine barrels as watering cans…well it’s a little more intriguing than that and actually quite pretty too. So if you’d like to take a peek at a few repurposed wine barrels check out these sites here and here.

Eco-Lassie loves to find new uses for household items, and when she was cleaning out a closet recently, she came across a can of hair spray. Now the last time Eco Lassie used hair spray was for her a wedding in 2005–when an updo needed to be tamed. But here was a perfectly good, almost full can of hair spray. Surely there had to be more uses for it.

Eco Lassie had heard it said by her southern neighbors that you can use good old-fashioned hair spray to remove chewing gum. Really. Spray it right on and harden a glob of that goo, then scrape it away with a knife from material or carpets.

This doesn’t happen often enough in Eco Lassie’s house, but when she does bother to shine her leather loafers, she just found out that a light coat of hair spray for the finishing touch will keep that shine lasting even longer.

And while you’ve got that rag and spray out, you can also use it on machine-washable fabrics to get out that lip gloss stain from your honey’s favorite white shirt after date night. Saturate the smudge with your handy dandy hair spray and rub it in, then machine wash to remove the last hint of color and extra spray.But that’s not all your stiff stuff will do: if you’ll bother to spritz the toes of freshly-washed pantyhose, you’ll add life to each pair because the polymers used in making hair spray will help to prevent the stockings from running.

The next time you clean out your closet, stop and do a bit of research before tossing that item you thought you had no use for — chances are, someone else has been there done that, and there are all sorts of ways to recycle common, everyday items you run across.

Instead of trying to come up with some great BIG idea to make a difference, the Green Queen says think small. If we all do a little, it will do a lot. And, there are a lot of little things we can do that will make a BIG difference. Like:

1) Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. Get your toothbrush wet and the paste but then reach up and turn off the water while you scrub those bicuspids. There’s no use in letting the water run…that’s just wasteful.
2) Turn off the water while you lather your legs. If you are going to take the time to shave your legs, lather up but make sure the water is turned off while you do it. There’s no benefit to having the water running while you’re lathering.
3) When you’re sudsing up in the shower, turn off the water. You can work up better suds if you get the soap wet and then rub-a-dub-dub without any excess water.

These three little things might sound silly but it will save water and the planet at the same time.

It’s the little things in life that make the most difference. Remember…the things that make an impression on you–they might not be BIG things but they stick with you. It’s the same with being sustainable. If you make a small effort to change the things you do everyday, it will make a BIG difference in the end.

So, think SMALL and it will make a BIG difference. And, the Green Queen hopes you have a funtabulous weekend trying to think of ways you can use a little less water.

Most western Christian churches will have covered their crosses and stripped their altars. Many countries act out the trial and crucifixion in plays called The Way of the Cross. Two of the largest are in Rome, Italy, outside the Colosseum, and surprisingly, in Mumbai, India.

Fasting is common in many countries, including Malta, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Spain and Italy, with many Christians abstaining from eating meat. Anglicans, Lutherans and other Protestants have their own services and traditions. Methodists use a worship service based on the Seven Last Words From the Cross, and it’s common in many countries to use this day to hold interdenominational services. The Moravians hold a Lovefeast on Good Friday, complete with special buns.

Public holidays are observed in many countries around the world, but in Ireland and South Africa, it’s also a “dry” day in that no alcohol is sold. In Bermuda, kites are flown, sometimes handmade with wooden sticks and colorful tissue paper.

And in the UK, there’s no horse racing on Good Friday!

What a diverse world we live in. And here’s one of Eco Lassie’s easiest favorite dishes for a meatless meal:

Pasta and Peas

1 lb of your favorite whole wheat long pasta: linguine, angel hair, or tagliatelle

1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas

4 TB freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

3 TB extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring 4 qts. water to boil and salt; add pasta and stir well. Cook until al dente, about 10-12 mins. As pasta cooks, put peas in a strainer and run under warm tap water until defrosted. Drain and combine peas with the cheese, oil, S&P in a a large serving bowl.

When pasta is cooked, scoop out 3/4 cup cooking water and add to serving bowl. Drain pasta and add immediately to bowl, tossing well. Serve with extra cheese.

Earth Hour is the World Wildlife Fund’s project in which people, businesses, and governments all over the world turn off their lights for one hour to show their support for action on climate change.  Earth Hour is a symbolic event designed to engage people from all walks of life in the climate change discussion in order to send a strong message to our political leaders that we want them to take meaningful action on climate change.

How do you participate in Earth Hour? It’s easy:  All you have to do is turn off your non-essential lighting (or turn everything off, if you want to) on March 31st at 8:30 p.m. local time.  That’s it!  Just like New Year’s Eve, Earth Hour will travel from time zone to time zone for 24 hours starting in New Zealand.

Five years ago, the people of Sydney, Australia (2.2 million people) turned off their lights for one hour. More than 2,100 businesses switched off too. As a result, Sydney’s energy consumption was reduced by 10.2%. Even the Opera House turned off its famous lights, temporarily changing the Sydney Harbor’s beautiful skyline. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.

The Earth at night.

This year, all seven continents, all G20 countries, thousands of cities, and iconic landmarks and public figures will join with hundreds of millions across the world to celebrate action for the planet. Even Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II will be involved, as according to the Earth Hour Facebook page, Buckingham Palace and other royal properties will be going dark at 8:30 p.m. GMT this Saturday.

Earth Hour is about the simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby. As a parent, one of the many things Recycla has taught her daughters it to turn lights off when they leave a room.

If you get a chance, visit the Earth Hour website to learn more about Earth Hour, as well as how you can make easy changes every day.

Tell the Eco Women:  Will you participate in Earth Hour?

Felting is simply taking wool knitted fabric and applying water and pressure to create an entirely new product.

The Green Queen has even felted material without meaning to do it. If you throw a wool sweater, socks or even gloves in the washing machine and then into the dryer – wah-lah you’ve probably felted that article of clothing. But, you might have shrunk it at the same time rendering it entirely unwearable.

The process to use where you have more control is to felt the fabric slowly. Put the fabric in the washing machine and keep an eye on it, checking every five minutes or so to see how the process is working. If the fabric seems larger at first, that’s normal, simply put the fabric back in the machine and put it on the agitation cycle again but don’t let it spin. Keep doing this process until the fabric becomes the proper tension that you want. Then rinse the material and set it on a towel to dry.

If you want to make the felted fabric into a hat, you can set the fabric over a bowl to get the fabric to dry to the correct shape and size. (Simply search for a bowl that fits your head.)

It’s simple and it’s a great way to reuse an old article of clothing that you might otherwise not have a use for.

While International Women’s Day isn’t an eco celebration, per se, the Eco Women feel that it is important to make note of this day and take the time to remember all of the women around the world who are doing their parts to make life better, whether it’s through small actions or great ones.

Look around your community. What non-profits can you support that help women in need? Is there a women’s shelter or an organization that helps women get job training? How can you help other women in your town?

And what about women-owned businesses? Do you support those? The Eco Women do and some of their favorites include VZ Wraps (which sells reusable cloth gift bags) and Sweet Spot Skirts (cute sport skirts for women of all body shapes and sizes). In their hometowns, the Eco Women support women at farmers’ markets, in locally-owned shops, and through other businesses like woman photographers, massage therapists, and more.

On a larger scale, there’s Global Girlfriend, a shop that helps women worldwide gain economic security while providing you unique products and a simple way to help women in need. Their Fair Trade boutique offers women-made products while offering women in need a way to support themselves and their families. Ten Thousand Villages is another online shop that offers woman-made Fair Trade products.

So take a moment today to think about the women in your life and the ones you haven’t met but have heard about — the ones who are doing what they can to make the world a better place. Think about what you can do too.

Tell the Eco Women: What woman or women do you admire and why?

For an increasing number of high school students, considering an environmentally responsible university is an important part of their college search.  When looking at schools, they are looking at whether or not the colleges support green initiatives, such as recycling, composting, solar and wind energy, and so much more.

Luckily,  last year the Sierra Club published its list of the “Top Ten:  America’s Coolest Schools”, which is their version of the universities with the most eco credentials.  Highlights include buildings that have earned the LEED Gold standard, colleges that use animal waste to generate energy, and several college farms or gardens.

Here’s the list of the top 10, as determined by the Sierra Club:

1. University of Washington
2. Green Mountain College
3. UC San Diego
4. Warren Wilson College
5. Stanford University
6. UC Irvine
7. UC Santa Cruz
8. UC Davis
9. Evergreen State College
10. Middlebury College

What do you think fellow Eco Warriors: Would you include environmental factors on your college search or your daughter’s/son’s?

The Green Queen thinks this is an easy way to remember your goals for the year: simply set 12 goals for 2012.

Check out this list and pick out a few or make a few of your own.

Plastic
• Buy fewer items in plastic containers.
• At work, purchase a drink glass with a unique design (so you can easily tell which one is yours)
• Bring your own travel coffee mug to your local coffee shop and ask if you can leave it there – some smaller shops will let you do this.

Paper
• Only print documents from the web, if you need to keep them, otherwise hold down your control button and the “print screen” button at the same time. Then simply go to a Word/WordPerfect document and hit your control + the “v” button. This will give you a document you can save on your hard drive with no need to print it out.
• Print on both sides of the paper.
• Use the reverse side of documents such as scrap paper and notepads.

If you’re already recycling, simply step up your efforts. The list of reusable items – from coffee filters to sandwich bags – is growing every day.

The Green Queen uses plastic baggies to store food and then reuses the baggies for walks with the dog.

Recycling at Work:
*Create trash hubs so you make it easier for everyone to participate. Put recycling containers and trash cans in the same area.
*Clearly label all bins with decals/signage of what is acceptable recycling materials. This includes trash cans which should be labeled “trash only—no recyclables.”
*Use different colored bins. Recycling bins should look different from trash cans.
*Use disposable bags only when necessary. If a bin is only collecting clean paper, do not use plastic liners.
*Educate. Tell people exactly what to do and send periodic reminders.

Recycling at Home
*Keep a set place to store recyclables.
*Ask your local trash company if they recycle. Or, once a week take your recycling to the local recycling bank.
*Cancel unwanted mail deliveries and newspapers, or read news and magazines online.
*Reuse paper around the house as scrap paper or packing material. Envelopes can also be reused.

The Green Queen is hoping this list will inspire you to pick one of two goals or maybe you’ll be able to do 12 in 12.

If you have a few ideas, please post them in the comments section to help inspire others.