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!

Green

We are supposed to get a bit of a cold snap in the next day or so - maybe even a little SNOW (although we are being told by weather forecasters that if we DO get snow, it won't stick). The wet, sleety weather should clear up for the weekend. The Austin Marathon is this Sunday (Valentine's Day) so I'm sure all of those runners will welcome the cool but not wet conditions. The Austin Marathon is one of the "greenest" marathons in the country according to Runner's World. That's a big nod for our city and our efforts to go green. Curious about the Austin Marathon? Check out the write up at Environmentally-Friendly Races at Runner's World.com. AZUMA Leasing is also doing it's part to go green. We are now providing our customers with paperless invoices and lease agreements. Not only does it cut back on the amount of paper that we are contributing to landfills, but it cuts back on energy costs (less electricity is used in the printing, folding, mailing of the invoices AND the US Postal system has a few thousand less bills to deliver so it may save on gas and emissions). It's a small step but it is a step in the right direction. There are lots of small things that we can all do to protect our environment and produce less waste - using "green" bags instead of plastic bags when shopping, reading newspapers online instead of getting the traditional kind on newsprint, buying used books instead of new, buying locally grown foods. Going green is also a good way to get creative and reuse things or repurpose them (turn an old T-shirt into a green bag or a pillow case!). Little steps can make a BIG difference. Give it a try and see what unique things you can do to save money and the environment. (How about getting an in-unit washer and dryer from us? Renting from AZUMA Leasing will help you save gas, release fewer emissions into the air and MONEY). Give us a call at 800/707-1188 if you would like to set up a delivery and get started on saving some "green"!

Until next time, keep it clean!!