Earth Day musings from a faithful reader
remember historic preservation is the ultimate recycling
the greenest house is the one that already exists

Gas mileage tips, compare cars
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposes substantial increases in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars and light trucks.
http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.43ac99aefa80569eea57529cdba046a0/

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has proclaimed April 2008 as National Landscape Architecture Month. Landscape architecture is the fastest growing of the design professions, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the next six years, demand for the profession is projected to expand by 18 to 26 percent and landscape architecture programs need to increase by an average of six percent a year in order to match the growth.
http://www.asla.org/lamonth/

Most One-Stop Career Centers Are Taking Multiple Actions to Link Employers and Older Workers
GAO-08-548, April 21, 2008
 "The share of older persons in the U.S. population age 55 and older is projected to increase to 30 percent by 2025 and continue to grow through 2050. At the same time, more older persons are expected to continue working than in the past and, in doing so, may need employment and training services as they make transitions to different jobs and work arrangements. Several factors will contribute to this phenomenon. The number of older Americans and their proportion of the total population are increasing and are expected to continue to increase. Fewer of these older Americans are expected to have the traditional retirements of previous generations and many will continue working for financial or other reasons. At the same time, labor force growth is expected to slow and employers will be faced with a relatively smaller and younger available workforce. As a result, some businesses will need to retain existing older workers or attract additional older workers to meet their workforce needs."

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know that the EnergyGuide label can help you compare the energy use of different models as you shop for an appliance. Using less energy is good for the environment; it can reduce air pollution and help conserve natural resources.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/homes/rea14.shtm
See above link for energy guidance and learn about the ENERGYSTAR program.

Before Penny Vincenzi wrote her own first novel, she was a librarian--at Harrods.
"There were far more private lending libraries then," she explains. "Boots had one. At Harrods, you got a book straight away; you just rang up and ordered it and it was deliverd that afternoon, sometimes by horse-drawn van."
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/my-first-job-novelist-penny-vincenzi-was-a-harrods-librarian-810036.html

Lilly’s Oncology on Canvas International Art Exhibit at The University of Toledo Medical Center
The exhibit is open to the public in the Raymon H. Mulford Library, 4th floor from Monday, May 5, at 9:00 a.m. until noon on Thursday, May 8, 2008. The Lilly exhibit is an international exhibit of art submitted by people who have been diagnosed with cancer, their oncologists, nurses, family members and caregivers.
See 2008 world tour schedule to locate an exhibit near you:
http://www.lillyoncologyoncanvas.com/common_pages/tour_calendar.jsp

indurate (IN-doo-rayt, -dyoo-)
verb tr.
1. To make hardy, inured, accustomed
2. To make callous or unfeeling
verb intr.
1. To make hard
2. To become established
adjective (IN-doo-rit, -dyoo-)
Hardened; callous; obstinate
[From Latin indurare (to harden), from durare (to last), from durus (hard).
Ultimately from the Indo-European root deru-/dreu- (to be firm) that's the source of such other words as truth, trust, betroth, tree, endure, and druid.]
A.Word.A.Day

On April 24, 1916, the Easter Rebellion began on the streets of Dublin. The British police extinguished the rebellion a few days later. Called "the poet's rebellion," it was led by six patriotic poets and men of letters including Patrick Pearse and James Connolly. They barged inside and read their "Proclamation of Independence" to a baffled crowd. The rebellion seemed hopelessly unsuccessful until the British government valorized many of the rebels by executing them a few weeks later. The executions set in motion a movement for Irish nationalism, and in 1921 Ireland finally achieved independence from Great Britain—except for the six northernmost counties of the island that comprise Northern Ireland.
The Writer’s Almanac