National Arbor Day

April 30th is National Arbor Day. Arbor Day is a nationally recognized celebration to preserve and care for trees. Trees play an integral part in our day to day lives. They provide foods that we eat, give shade to shield us on a hot, summer day, clean the air that we breathe (trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air) and countless other things.

A little bit about Arbor Day:
It was founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska.
An estimated one MILLION trees were planted on the first Arbor Day (that's a lot of trees!!).
Arbor day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April (although each state has its own state Arbor Day holiday as well).

There are many ways to celebrate Arbor Day. How about........

• Organizing a beautification project in an area park or schoolyard
• Ask co-workers, friends and family to recycle paper (newsprint, magazines, etc.) and for every pound recycled, plant a tree
• Take a walk with your family or friends and see how many different kinds of trees are in your area
• Volunteer with a local tree-planting organization to make a difference in the quality and beauty of your community
• Plant a fruit tree in your backyard
• Visit a botanical garden and take in a lecture on caring for trees

Trees do some pretty amazing things for our environment. Did you know that ONE tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces in 25, ooo miles? Or that trees lower air temperature by evaporating water in their leaves? Or how about trees cutting down on noise pollution by acting as natural sound barriers (and they are MUCH prettier to look at than a large noise reduction wall!). Makes ya wanna go hug a tree, doesn't it?

For more information on Arbor Day and tree preservation, check out the following websites:
National Arbor Day Foundation – www.arborday.org
American Forests – www.americanforests.org

Until next time, keep it clean! Now get outta here and go plant a tree!

Earth Day

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!! Earth Day was created to inspire awareness and appreciation for our environment. The very first Earth Day celebration was on April 22, 1970. The celebration has been expanded in many communities across the country (and the world) as EARTH WEEK (April 16th through April 23rd). All of these celebrations focus on environmental issues and ways we can ALL make a difference to preserve our planet.
There are so many things that we can do to make that happen. Ya know the phrase "reduce, reuse and recycle"? That's just the tip of the iceberg but it's a GREAT place to start!
REDUCE - Think twice about the number of goods you purchase. Do you REALLY need to buy that book or can you check it out from your local library? Are you able to walk to the grocery store instead of driving thereby reducing the amount of gas you consume? Install a low-flow shower head to reduce your water consumption.
REUSE - Instead of tossing things out because they are worn out or stained, etc., find a new use for the item. Be creative!! How about covering old cereal boxes with brown paper and using them as shipping boxes for sending items to friends and family? It works and it saves you a couple of bucks on a new box for shipping. Try using coffee grounds and tea leaves as natural plant fertilizer. Instead of tossing out those nylon mesh vegetable bags (you know the ones that bulk onions and some citrus fruits are packaged in), wad it up and use it as a scrubber for various cleaning tasks around the house. Buy a stainless steel water bottle and refill it with water instead of buying a plastic water bottle (you are REDUCING the amount of plastic for recycling and REUSING the water bottle by doing this!!).
RECYCLE - Take old magazines to work for others to read while on lunch breaks or take them to local bookstores for reselling. Make a compost pile in your backyard with organic matter that you have leftover from your kitchen (egg shells, vegetable and fruit peels, etc.). You can then use the nutrient rich compost to fertilize the veggie garden you started so you don't have to drive to the grocery store (you see where I'm going with this?).

All of these things are SIMPLE and INEXPENSIVE. It's really about making small changes and then working towards the larger ones. So think about it, give it a shot and help preserve this wonderful place we all call home.

Until next time, keep it clean!

Drum Roll, Please!!

I'm sure you all are anxious to find out what the new name is for our adorable mascot. After a week of receiving votes from all of our customers, the winner is ...........

SUDZ!!!!!

Isn't that a terrific name? Everyone here at AZUMA Leasing is happy to have a name for the little guy and would like to thank everyone that participated in the vote. I'm sure that Sudz would also thank you if he could!

Keep an eye on future blogs because I will likely have lots of stories to share about our buddy Sudz!

Until next time, keep it clean (but before you leave, check out a little dog trivia)!

• An American Animal Hospital Association poll showed that 33% of dog owners admit that they talk to their dogs on the phone or leave messages on an answering machine while away.
• At the end of the Beatle's song " A Day in the Life", an ultrasonic whistle, audible only to dogs, was recorded by Paul McCartney for his Shetland sheepdog.
• Dogs have fewer taste buds than people - probably fewer than 2,000! It is the smell that initially attracts them to a particular food.
• Every year, $1.5 billion is spent on pet food. This is FOUR TIMES the amount spent on baby food!
  

Bow Wow!!

Hey guys, AZUMA Leasing needs your help! See the adorable little guy on the left? He's been our mascot, pet and buddy for years but he does NOT have a name (shame on us!). AZUMA Leasing is asking you to help us pick a name for him. The names to choose from are: Max
, Zeke
, Sudz
, Jake
, and Sammy (pretty cute, huh?). To cast your vote, simply visit www.azuma.com, follow the link at the bottom of the screen and cast your vote for your favorite name! When the voting ends, I will enter the puppy's new forever name here in our blog.

In honor of our much loved mascot, here is a healthy peanut butter treat that you can share with that special pooch in your life (and they are super easy to make!).

Ingredients:

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. spelt flour (if you don’t have it, use wheat flour in its place)

1 c. quick-cooking rolled oats

2 TBSP flax seeds

1-1/4 c. warm water

1/4 c. natural peanut butter (crunchy or smooth - leave that up to your doggy!)

Directions:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Next, mix the flour, oats and flax seeds in a large mixing bowl.

Add the peanut butter and stir in the water.

Knead the dough (should feel like Play-Doh) on a lightly floured surface. You want to add in more flour, little by little, until the dough is no longer sticky.

Roll out the dough until it’s approximately 1/4″ thick. Bring out those cute cookie cutters you have been stashing (bones, fire hydrants, flowers, etc.) and cut into cookies.

Bake for 20 minutes and then turn your oven off. By allowing them to cool in the oven, you’ll get crunchy biscuits!

Makes 24 biscuits (depending on the size of the cookie cutters you use!).

I hope your pup enjoys them! Until next time, keep it clean!