17 Inspiring Quotes for Earth Day: 'The Environment Is Where We All Meet'

 By: VI-AN NGUYEN 

Celebrate Earth Day this Tuesday, April 22, with moving quotes about the natural world from conservationists and naturalists like John Muir and John James Audobon—and unexpected voices like Albert Einstein. They’re all worth remembering on this day set aside to honor Mother Nature.

Lady Bird Johnson. (Getty Images)

1. “The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” —Lady Bird Johnson

2. “Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” —John Muir

3. “A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” —John James Audubon

4. “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each.” —Henry David Thoreau

5. “We need the tonic of wildness—to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the booming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest, and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground. At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be infinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” —Henry David Thoreau

John Muir (Getty Images)

6. “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” —John Muir

7. “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” —Albert Einstein

Gandhi (Getty Images)

8. “The good man is the friend of all living things.” —Gandhi

9. “An understanding of the natural world and what’s in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment.” —David Attenborough

10. “It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” —David Attenborough

11. “Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” —Theodore Roosevelt

12. “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt

13. “Nature never hurries: atom by atom, little by little, she achieves her work. The lesson one learns from yachting or planting is the manners of Nature; patience with the delays of wind and sun, delays of the seasons, bad weather, excess or lack of water.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

14. “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together … all things connect.” —Chief Seattle

Mother Teresa (Getty Images)

15. “I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.” —Mother Teresa

16. “Environmentally friendly cars will soon cease to be an option…they will become a necessity.” – Fujio Cho, President of Toyota Motors

Jane Goodall (Getty Images)

17. “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall

Dry Off a Little: 5 Ways you Can Conserve Water

Here in the United States, we take water for granted. That’s kind of crazy, considering only a fraction of the earth’s water is useable. That means conserving water is a great idea. Here are five ways you can help: 

1. Fix your leaks – One drip per second could waste more than 3,000 gallons a year.
2. Plant local plants – Indigenous plants can dramatically reduce irrigation.
3. Use water-efficient appliances – We’re not saying you need to go replace every appliance you have right now. But if that washing machine is on the fritz, maybe its replacement could use less water. Just a suggestion. We don’t want to pressure you, but that could be a factor in future purchases.
4. Eat your food – When you throw food away, you throw water away.  Minimizing food waste conserves agricultural water.
5. Spread the word! – Tell your friends and neighbors why they should conserve water. We know, you don’t want to be “that person.” But, if we’re going to save the planet, someone has to be.

Spring cleaning applies to cars too

By: Larry Printz, MCT Information Services

You may not have noticed, but it is now officially spring, and you know what that means: spring cleaning. Many of us will subject our homes to a top-to-bottom scrubbing, but far fewer will do the same to our automobiles.

If your car, truck, SUV or minivan qualifies as a Superfund site, it's the perfect time to make your ride really shine. With just an hour or two, you won't have to call the Environmental Protection Agency before taking a family vacation. You can do it yourself without paying hundreds for a car detailer.

Cleaning a car means doing so from the inside out. If you have any questions on the types of cleaner to use, consult your vehicle's owner's manual.

Start by cleaning the inside of the vehicle. Remove accumulated debris from the map pockets, glove box, center console and trunk. Next, wipe down the dashboard and door panels with a mild cleaner. Use a disinfectant for door handles, the steering wheel, turn-signal stalks and any other surface you regularly touch. Clean buttons with a soft, damp cloth; dashboard vents and panel seams will require cotton swabs.

Then clean the glass. Spray window cleaner on your towel so mist doesn't fall on your clean dashboard. Follow with a second towel to avoid streaks on the glass.

Now it's time to clean the seats. Upholstery cleaner or a steam cleaner will do for cloth seats. For leather seats and trim, use a mild leather cleaner or saddle soap followed by a leather conditioner to prevent cracking.

Next, vacuum upholstered areas, including the headliner and the rear parcel shelf. Be sure to reach under the seats. And don't forget the trunk.

Finally, shampoo the carpet and floor mats with a scrub brush. You'll want to keep the doors open to allow for drying. Use this time as a chance to grab a sip of iced tea before turning your attention to the exterior.

For this part, you will need multiple sponges, one for each cleaner. If you drop one, get a clean one to avoid scratching the paint. Make sure your car is in a shady spot. Washing a car when the body is hot increases the likelihood of spotting; cleaning a hot wheel rim can stain or etch the wheel.

Start by rinsing your ride thoroughly with gently flowing, warm water to loosen dirt. High-pressure or hot water can damage modern paint finishes.

Next, wash the car from the top down, using a car washing liquid and a natural sponge. Don't use dishwashing detergent or other household cleaners which can damage paint.

Move the sponge lengthwise across the car. Never rub in circles; it creates swirl marks in the paint. Rinse thoroughly, starting at the top and working your way down.

Use a bug and tar remover to clean stubborn dirt. Next, clean brake dust from wheels using a wheel cleaner designed for your type of wheel, be it chrome, aluminum or painted. Once clean, rinse the wheel. Then, direct the hose into the underside of the wheel well to remove dirt or debris.

Now, open the doors and trunk. Wash the door jambs and the channel around the trunk and sunroof. Apply a silicone spray to your car's weather stripping in the door jambs to keep it moist and prevent air and water leaks.

Next, use a chamois or soft terry towel to thoroughly dry the door jambs, sunroof and trunk opening channel.

Then, close the doors and trunk and dry the remainder of the car using a back-and-forth motion. Don't let the car air dry; that will leave water marks.

Once dry, it's time to polish the car.

The best results still come from polishing, then waxing. Polish is slightly abrasive and removes fine scratches while adding luster to the finish, while wax protects the paint and prevents it from fading.

Remember, use a back-and-forth motion while applying the polish and wax.

Also, be careful not to get polish or wax on plastic surfaces unless it's formulated for them. Otherwise, you might need a plastic cleaner to remove it. If you have a dark-colored vehicle, look for polishes formulated for darker colors.

Finally, spray on a tire-shine product to give that perfect finishing touch.

With a bit of time and patience, you can save a lot of money and ensure that your ride will look good for the warm weather to come.

Larry Printz is automotive editor at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. He can be reached at larry.printz@pilotonline.com.

Tips for Choosing the Best, Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles

Buying a new car is a big decision. And with gas prices skyrocketing, the demand for fuel efficient vehicles is also reaching new heights. But how do you find the most fuel efficient vehicle, while also finding one that also fits your lifestyle?
Here are a few tips to help you in your search:

1. Know what you need. While a compact car may give you the best bang for your buck, it’s not exactly a reality if you have a big family. Decide what works best (minivan, SUV, sedan, coupe, truck), rule out models that are out of your price range and go from there. Then you can start comparing fuel efficient vehicles that are more suited to you.

2. Choose an engine size. If you haul a lot of items or people around, you may want to have some power under the hood when you need it. But keep in mind, you’ll pay for that power at the pump. A car with a four-cylinder engine is a more fuel efficient vehicle than one with a six- or eight-cylinder engine. Choose one that works for you.

3. Compare online. Plenty of online car sites offer comparison tools that let you look at several vehicles side by side and compare gas mileage and other features. With these easy-to-use research tools, everything you need to find the best fuel efficient vehicle for you is right at your fingertips.

4. Consider a Hybrid. When it comes to big savings at the pump, hybrid vehicles seem an obvious choice—yet they’re often overlooked. Today’s technologically advanced hybrid vehicles offer proven reliability and come in a range of types—from compacts to SUVs. You may pay a little bit more for a hybrid upfront—but the savings at the gas station may be worth it.

5. Buy a new or "newer" car. Over the past few years, manufacturers have added a variety of technologies to improve mileage and create the most fuel efficient vehicles available. Be sure to compare new to used before making any decisions.

5 Easy Fuel Economy Driving Tips

With gas prices seemingly always on the rise, choosing a car that offers the best fuel economy is a smart way to save money at the pump. But aside from choosing a vehicle with a great EPA rating, there are a few easy fuel economy tips that can also help you get more bang for your buck:

Drive safely. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, aggressive tactics like speeding and stop-and-go driving waste gas and can actually lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and 5% around town. Driving sensibly not only improves fuel economy, it also keeps everyone safer on the road.

Maintain your vehicle. By following your vehicle's recommended maintenance and tune-up schedule, you’re helping to maximize efficiency. While many models vary, most major service intervals are every 12,000 miles for the first three years or 36,000 miles and at 25,000-mile intervals after that. Check your driver's manual to find yours.

Check your tires. Another easy way to improve your fuel economy is by keeping your tires properly inflated. Use a pressure gauge regularly to check all four of your tires. (Your vehicle’s recommended tire pressure information is usually located on the driver's side door jamb or in the glove box. If you can’t find it there, check your owner's manual.) It’s best to keep pressure slightly lower in hot weather, and slightly higher in colder weather. Properly inflated tires also keep you safer on the road.

De-clutter. If you use your vehicle as a mobile storage unit, you may not be getting the best fuel economy. More weight requires more power and more gas, especially if you drive a smaller, lighter car.

Plan ahead. If your plan your day in advance, you can combine trips and errands for better gas mileage.

Toyota helps preserve piece of American history

• DAVID SHEPARDSON THE DETROIT NEWS
  

Washington —Toyota Motor Corp. is donating $100,000 to help preserve and display 10 key documents from American history at the National Archives.

They include President Richard Nixon’s August 1974 resignation letter, and the pardon he received from President Gerald R. Ford; the 100-year-old 1914 proclamation creating Mother’s Day; and the GI Bill of Rights passed by Congress in 1944.

The donation from the Japanese automaker’s American arm is the latest example of the U.S. government looking to outside sources — from billionaires to foreign companies — to pay for things that taxpayers covered in previous generations.

“It is with a deep sense of honor that Toyota makes this donation to the Foundation for the National Archives in recognition of our nation’s rich history,” said Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota’s North American Region.

“We are proud to help preserve treasured documents marking major milestones in American history,” Lentz said.

“Toyota’s generosity recognizes the vital importance of the National Archives,” said the Archives Foundation’s executive director, Patrick M. Madden. “These are one-of-a-kind historic documents that range from light-hearted to monumental acts. Each one still resonates in our country’s consciousness today.”

Toyota, which directly employs more than 32,000 Americans and has done business here for 60 years, isn’t the only automaker to support quintessentially American artifacts, monuments and projects.

Last summer, Volkswagen AG donated $10 million to help restore a big chunk of the National Mall in Washington.

General Motors Corp. donated $10 million in 2001 to fund a 20,000-square-foot transportation exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s American History Museum. Ford Motor Co. has been a major donor to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, outside Washington, and sponsors the National Zoo’s “Panda cam.”

In the 1980s, Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca led fundraising efforts to restore the Statue of Liberty.

The one-percenters have helped, too.

Last year, Oprah Winfrey donated $13 million toward the Smithsonian’s $500 million National Museum of African American History, which is expected to open late next year.

Last week, Chicago-based aerospace firm Boeing Inc. said it would donate $30 million for a major renovation of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. In total, Boeing has donated $58 million to the museum.

Billionaire Carlyle Group founder David Rubenstein donated $7.5 million to help fund the restoration of the Washington Monument damaged in a 2012 earthquake.

“The country doesn’t have the resources it once did. We don’t have the ability to fix things that we should do,” Rubenstein told an Aspen Institute panel discussion last month.

“Many things that (were) financed previously by the federal government cannot be anymore,” he said.

The National Archives, created in 1934, draws more than 1 million visitors annually and has 10 billion pages of textual records with major holdings dating back to 1775.

Toyota’s donation will undergird the Archive Foundation’s exhibition fund and help the Archives prepare and display records in the “Featured Document” exhibit in the museum’s East Rotunda Gallery over the next six months. The exhibit is located near displays of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The first document that Toyota is helping preserve goes on display from April 17-May 8, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, which created agricultural cooperative extension services in connection with land-grant colleges. That will be followed by the 100th anniversary of the Mother’s Day proclamation from May 9-21. Mother’s Day is May 11.

The GI Bill of Rights goes on display June 6 — in honor of the 70th anniversary of D-Day — and runs until July 14.

The Gulf of Tonkin resolution — which provided the legal basis for the extension of the Vietnam War — goes on display on July 15-Aug. 7 — in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of its passage on Aug. 7.

Nixon’s resignation letter and Ford’s subsequent pardon go on display Aug. 8-11, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the only president in U.S. history to be forced out of office.

Other documents include House passage of the Bill of Rights in 1798 that will be on display from Aug. 12-Sept. 10, as well as documents on the attack on Baltimore and Ft. McHenry and the burning of Washington during the War of 1812 — the 200th anniversary is Sept. 13-14.

They go on display Sept. 11-Oct. 30.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140409/AUTO0104/304090026#ixzz2yQxTZHd7

Biggest danger behind the wheel

By: Metro Creative Connection

Billions of car trips are taken across North America each year, and though only a small percentage involve people driving under the influence, even one impaired driver can cause a great deal of trouble on the roadways. Drunk, drugged and distracted driving is responsible for thousands of fatalities and accidents each and every year ---with distracted driving now leading the pack as one of the biggest contributors to vehicular fatalities.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving notes that someone is killed in a drunk driving crash every 53 minutes in the United States, while every 90 seconds someone is injured because of a drunk driver. Though driving under the influence poses a threat to everyone on the road, drunk driving is no longer the biggest risk behind the wheel. Distracted driving is a growing problem, one spurred on by the increase of technological gadgets that take drivers' attention away from the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. The agency reports that texting while driving has now replaced drinking while driving as the leading cause of accidents and deaths of teenage drivers. But it's not a problem only reserved for youngsters. People of all ages admit to texting while behind the wheel of a car. According to a Harvard Center for Risk Analysis study, texting in cars and trucks causes more than 3,000 deaths and 330,00 injuries per year.

To illustrate just how dangerous texting while driving can be in relation to driving while intoxicated, Car and Driver magazine performed an experiment. During the test, cars were set up with a red light to alert drivers when to brake. The magazine tested how long it would take to hit the brakes when sober, when legally impaired at a BAC level of .08, when reading an email, and when sending a text. The results were surprising. Sober, focused drivers took an average of 0.54 seconds to brake. Legally drunk drivers required four additional feet to stop. An additional 36 feet was necessary when reading an email and an additional 70 feet was needed when sending a text.

Drivers who text also are more likely to drift in and out of lanes. A study by the Transport Research Laboratory in London found that reaction times for texting drivers were 35 percent worse than those for drivers with no distractions.

Although the proportion of alcohol related traffic crashes has dropped considerably in recent years, the number of accidents and fatalities attributed to causes other than impaired driving have increased. A survey by Nationwide Insurance found that 80 percent of drivers support some type of mobile phone or texting use restrictions while driving.