Green Maus

1. Be Water Wise
Reduce your lawn area by decreasing the amount of grass you have and increasing the amount of planted flowers. “Flowers need less hydration than grass. Putting in gravel or pathways also will do the trick” said Sid Davis, author of Your Eco-Friendly Home.

Other ways to save on water:

+ Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving
+ Take shorter showers
+ Get a good aerator for your faucet

2. Power Down as a Family and Go Out
Designate 30 minutes a day to turn off all lights, unplug all appliances and go outside as a family for a walk or bike ride. This also encourages family time together without modern day technology getting in the way.

3. Shop From Home
Shopping online is a great way to compare prices and save on gas. Researchers estimate that comparison-shopping online instead of driving from store to store could result in up to 35% less energy consumption and carbon-dioxide emissions.

4. Be a Good Driver
So doing the speed limit is not only the law but it’s also more energy efficient. Typically gas mileage decreases rapidly above 60 mph, meaning the faster you drive, the more fuel you use to get wherever you are going. Plus you’ll save in speeding tickets.

5. Watch your Spin Cycle
Using a cotton waffle weave towel will cut down on the time it takes in the dryer. “Fluffy towels take much longer in the dryer, which is one of the most expensive uses of energy. Plus waffle towels naturally exfoliate your skin when you dry off with them.” Said Barbara Flanagan, author of Flanagan’s Smart Home.

David Maus Toyota is giving away tickets to the advance screening of Disney’s new movie, earth.

• When: Wednesday, April 15th at 7:30pm
• Where: AMC Theaters in Altamonte Springs
• How do I get tickets? From now till April 15th, drop off a school supply at David Maus Toyota and receive a pass good for two people (while supplies last)

As the first film in the Disney nature series, earth tells the remarkable story of three animal families and their amazing journey across the planet we all call home.

As the presenting sponsors, David Maus Toyota and the Orlando Sentinel are utilizing this promotion to increase awareness of Earth Day as well as the importance of keeping a focus on our educational system through the school supply drive.

“We are proud to be a presenting sponsor of this event; Disney has done an amazing job of telling this story and the animals effect on our planet. Plus we are trying to contribute back to the community through the school supply drive,” said David Maus, General Manager of David Maus Toyota.

The presentation of the film also coincides with the launch of David Maus’ new initiative, www.GreenMaus.org, a website dedicated to informing customers and bloggers about what the automotive industry is doing to revise their technology to be more environmentally safe, what the David Maus automotive dealerships do internally to make a difference and what you can do at home with your family to keep our planet clean for years to come. David Maus Toyota will also be donating trees to local public schools to plant in honor of Earth Day.

“The GreenMaus initiative is one that we feel strongly about, most of our charitable focus is for children but without a clean and prosperous planet, our children will face a difficult future. We are doing our part to increase awareness and keep our consumers informed through this website,” said Maus.

To learn more about the Advance Screening Event please call David Maus Toyota at 407-548-2066.

With ‘green cars’ representing the future of the automotive industry, an honor such as the Volkswagen Jetta TDI being named the 2009 Green Car of the Year by the Green Car Journal is very reputable. The automotive industry no longer has an option whether to build ‘green’ products or invest in ‘green’ technology, it is becoming a requirement for their future.

Volkswagen has addressed their green initiative by focusing on fuel efficiency and the impact on the environment its’ vehicles can make. Breaking new ground in the field of diesel technology, the VW Jetta features a quiet-running, diesel-powered car with “clean diesel” technology and an EPA estimated 41 mpg fuel economy. The Jetta TDI has achieved emissions certification in all 50 states without the use of special additives or other measures.

What is the Green Car Journal? Green Car Journal is the industry leading measure of environmental progress, identifying the one vehicle model that offers the most significant achievement in this area during the new model year. Selecting the Green

The 2009 Jetta TDI is also eligible for the $1,300 Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle Federal Income Tax Credit.

For more information on the VW Jetta TDI, please visit www.DavidMausVW.com.

As with most companies, David Maus Toyota has a lot of paperwork that has to be completed and sometimes thrown away or shredded due to the nature of its business. But instead of just tossing the paper in a basket or shredding it by hand and then dumping it, David Maus Toyota hired a company that not only does the shredding professionally but then recycles the shredded paper. The company, Shred It, has a motto: “Securing your office and the environment. We recycle”.

Shred It’s main purpose is to destroy confidential information and recycle, so what does that mean for David Maus Toyota and the environment?

On December 25,2008 a Certificate of Destruction was issued to the store with the notification: This year your firm’s share of wood saved through the recycle program amounts to 197 trees.

That’s right, through our shredding efforts at David Maus Toyota we were able to recycle 197 trees to be used in recycled paper products, which we use in our bathrooms. In addition, the paper that we use for every day copying is 10% recycled.

We are doing our part each day to improve on our efforts to help the environment, one piece of paper at a time.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and Toyota announced a new project designed to raise awareness of the threats facing southern U.S forests and increase the amount of forest conserved or managed in a sustainable manner.

WRI is known for its long and successful history of transforming information and analysis into practical solutions for sustaining our natural ecosystems. The forests of the southern United States stretch from east Texas to Virginia and from Kentucky to Florida. These diverse temperate forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services including timber, paper, watershed protection, carbon storage and recreation.

The project includes three components:

1. Increase awareness about the threats facing southern forests and their value
2. Identify and develop a portfolio of options that align economic incentives with forest stewardship
3. Pilot test and implement options

Toyota is funding the project with a $1.49 million grant over the next three years.

WRI’s director of People & Ecosystems Program stated, “We need to implement new approaches to get economics and forest conservation aligned,”

Toyota has contributed more than $464 million to philanthropic programs in the United States with a focus on three elements – education, environment, safety.

• Unplug it. If you are not using it then unplug it, especially electronics such as toaster, cell phone charger, etc.) Event if they are not “on” they are using electricity, as much as 40% of all electricity in a home is used to power appliances that are turned off.
• Use your dishwater. Using a dishwasher actually uses about 35% less water than washing dishes by hand. And if you skip the drying cycle and let dishes air dry – you save 15% electricity
• Buy florescent bulbs. The newest ones are great, they turn on instantly and cast a warm glow, but they use about a quarter of the electricity of a traditional incandescent bulb and last 10 times as long, saving you money. Replacing just 6 bulbs will cut $35 per year from your electricity bill. (MSN Money)
• Save money in the bathroom. Buy water-efficient showerheads. A family of four can cut water usage by as much as 280 gallons a month.
• Recycle technology. Cell phones, digital cameras and camcorders have batteries that are illegal to throw out in states such as Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Vermont, but wherever you live you can find a nearby store that will recycle them. Just go to rbrc.org.
• Adjust fridge and freezer temps. Refrigerators eat up the most electricity in the house – keep fridges at 37F and the freezer at 0F
• Buy a laptop. It uses a lot less power and electricity than a desktop computer.
• Double up on printing. Configure your printer to print on both sides of the paper.
• Shop for energy-efficient appliances. Just look for the Energy Star label on fridges, washers and other products, they use less water and/or electricity.
• Tote your own grocery bag. Bring your own sack to the grocery store to load your food. Check your local grocery store, they usually have them in the cashier’s aisle.

Automotive News reported that Toyota would be increasing their competition against other manufacturers in the “hybrid” category by producing a smaller- than- Prius hybrid vehicle to compete with the Honda Insight. The smaller hybrid will be a low-priced Yaris spin-off which currently gives drivers a 29/36 mpg rating.

There is no defined date when the smaller hybrid will come to the United States but it could arrive as early as 2011, according to Japan’s Nikkei business newspaper.

Past reports in Automotive Business Review, announced that the Yaris was selected for the production of an all-lithium version. The production of the new model Toyota Yaris was to focus on design, quality and low costs.

It seems that Toyota is looking to continue its hybrid series expansion but instead of looking at the larger vehicles it will look towards the smaller, more compact car to showcase in the coming years.

Another manufacturer makes an announcement in regards to becoming a more environmentally conscience automaker and actually does it all on its own.

Hyundai announced that it will launch its first version of a hybrid with a plug-in vehicle. The new hybrid was shown during the 2009 Auto Show and introduced a four door, sports car concept design, called the Blue-Will.

President of Hyundai-Kia Motors’, yang Woong-chul stated “We want to be the world leader in fuel economy and alternative fuels.”

The new concept hybrid has staggering mpg numbers and is powered by a 1.6 liter gasoline direct-injection engine teamed with a 100-kilowatt electric motor. According to Yang, the Blue-Will can travel solely on electricity for approximately 38 miles. Hyundai claims a fuel economy rating of 106 mpg with plug-in mode and up to 55 mpg in hybrid-electric mode. Panoramic glass roofing with solar cells will assist in recharging.

Hyundai has gone so far in its “in-house” design and production that it has developed its own lithium ion battery. Hyundai believes that independently designing the parts will make the vehicle more affordable.

Price has not been determined or offered but the goal behind this concept hybrid is not to increase profit but according to Yang “to show our technological image to get people to the dealerships to drive our cars”.

All information was provided by Automotive News online, Kathy Jackson who wrote “Hyundai plans plug-in for 2012 in U.S.” written on April 2, 2009.

A Los Angeles Times article came out online in March commenting on the new 2010 Toyota Prius, to be released mid- to late of this year, and its considerable advancements it has made on what we now consider “the game of mpg’s”.

In his own mathematical equations, online journalist Dan Neil, has figured that over 10 years if the government spent $400 billion dollars and bought everyone Pruis’ we would save 14 billion gallons of oil a year which also equates to 170 days worth of gas.

Other advantages of everyone owning a Prius: significant reduction in vehicle-related greenhouse gas emission, an average of 50 mpg and a well-designed interior.

As stated in his article, the Prius has “created a segment, it changed minds, it validated a technology, and it raised awareness”.