Just as intended, the 44th annual celebration of Earth Day on April 22 will be surrounded by talk of our environment, our impact on it and what we can do to better live in harmony with it.

"We're seeing more and more people who realize that, if each of us does what we can every day,  collectively, we can have a tremendous impact," says Lynda Chervil, a thought leader and green technology advocate whose new book, "Fool's Return," (http://lyndachervil.com/), mirrors real-life efforts to develop sustainable energy sources.

"All the people carrying reusable grocery sacks, people who've quit the plastic water bottle habit, folks heating their pools or houses with solar panels - that's what we should be celebrating this Earth Day."

This year's March Gallup Environment poll found that 42 percent of Americans believe the outlook for the environment has improved, up from only 26 percent in 2008.

Chervil, who studies the science behind green technology, says environmental awareness has ramped up production of affordable goods that can shrink individuals' carbon footprints. She shares four devices she says would make a nice gift for Mother Earth on her day:

•  HybridLight Solar Flashlight: These flashlights never need batteries, can be charged from any light source, and they always work. The 120 lumens model will burn for eight hours on one charge. HybridLight's flashlights are so reliable, the Boy Scouts' Utah National Parks Council endorse them - and they come with a lifetime guarantee. For every 10 hours of use, 100 HybridLight flashlights avert 60 pounds of toxic battery landfill waste. An added very cool note - HybridLights has a mission to light up corners of the world with little or no electricity. Recently, the company supplied everyone in a Kenyan village with their own flashlight.  Cost: Prices start at less than $20.

•  Bedol Water Alarm Clock: Imagine a water-powered alarm clock that's loud enough to scare you out of bed! Bedol's water clocks run strictly on tap water - no batteries, no nothing else. The energy comes from a natural reaction between the water and two metal plates. The smallest clocks in the line run for six to 12 weeks before the display begins to fade, indicating that the water needs to be changes. Occasionally, you also need to clean the metal plates with vinegar. Just in time for Earth Day, Bedol is launch it's 12-by-15-inch wall-mount water clock! Cost: Prices start at $19.

•  iGo Green Power Smart Wall: We've all heard of the "vampires" in our homes that suck up power whether we're using them or not - everything from coffee pots to laptops. Stem the bleeding with this surge protector that cuts the suck by up to 85 percent. The unit, which plugs into the wall, has four outlets, two of which are always on. The other two automatically power down when the attached appliance is not in use. Cost: Prices start at about $12.

•  Pama Eco Navigator Satellite Navigation system : This GPS system also saves gasoline by providing you with the most energy-efficient routes to your destinations, and feedback on your car's performance, so you can adjust your driving habits to improve your gas mileage. It also saves all your routes, so you can assess their fuel efficiency. Cost: Watch for pricing and availability on Amazon.

"Most of these items are not only budget priced, they save you money in batteries, electricity and fuel," Chervil says. "Not only are you doing something great for the planet when you use green technology, you're taking a load off your wallet."

About Lynda Chervil

Lynda Chervil is the author of "Fool's Return," http://lyndachervil.com/, a new novel that incorporates valuable life lessons in a page-turning tale that touches on technology, the green movement, and other aspects of contemporary society. She graduated from New York University with a master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and has extensive experience in consumer and commercial banking and has held positions in new business development, sales management and executive leadership. Chervil seeks to push the limits of established understanding by exploring alternative forms of spiritual healing, and, through creative writing, to expand the narrative of cutting-edge energy technology to promote sustainability.

Quad Cities, USA: Christ Church will be hosting a Pancake Breakfast to benefit The Salvation Army's Summer Day Camp Youth Programs. You are invited to enjoy pancakes, coffee, and to purchase a variety of baked goods. Tickets can be purchased now at the church, or Saturday morning at the door.

Location: Christ Church, 2330 W. 41st Street, Davenport, IA 52806

Date: Saturday, March 29, 2014

Time: 8:00am - 10:30am

Price: $5 per person, children under 6 are free

For hundreds of Quad-City children, The Salvation Army Corps Community Centers are a second home. And for the 55 children living at the Family Service Center, it is their home. Each summer the Davenport Corps Community Center hosts the children's summer camp for the shelter's children.

And for the 10th year, the Moline Corps Community Center at 2200 - 5th Avenue offers a low-cost day camp offering a fun, safe and education summer to community children.

All summer, children will have the opportunity to play music, learn sports, make new friends, go on field trips to QC attractions, and even attend an overnight camp in the beautiful hills of Washburn, IL. All activities feature life skill and character building, safety and structure.

To learn more about any of The Salvation Army's programs, and how you might get involved, please call Holly 563-271-7933.

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Humility of Mary Housing, Inc. is starting its 25th year of hosting one of the largest indoor "garage sales" in the area to benefit single parents and their children in a program that takes them from homelessness to hopefulness. The spring semi-annual benefit sale will be Friday and Saturday, May 16 and 17, from 8 am to 4 pm at 3805 Mississippi Avenue, the office and donation center for Humility of Mary Housing.

It is getting to be time for spring cleaning or, maybe down-sizing, and we are willing to accept donations of all those clean, gently used items in good working order that you are wanting to move on and out. Donations can be dropped off at 3805 Mississippi Avenue, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., through May 9.

Humility of Mary Housing serves 47 single parent families and approximately 100 children. The length of stay in the program varies but last year it was 15 months.

In this program children learn there is a different way to live. Parents have said they not only get a roof over their heads but they are given the opportunities to build a foundation under their feet to provide for a better future.

Parents and children who have benefitted from this program have become employees in many Quad City businesses, have purchased homes; they have moved from homelessness to a life of hopefulness.

Social science experts agree -- much of what we "say" is never actually spoken.

"Facial expressions and other body language account for more than half of our communication," says Adam J. Scheiner, M.D., www.adamscheinermd.com, an international Oculoplastic surgeon who's been featured on "The Dr. Oz Show" and "The Doctors."

"When we look at someone, especially when we're meeting for the first time, we quickly scan the eye and mouth areas of the other person's face to make some quick judgments: Are they friendly or a potential threat? Are they trustworthy? We form first impressions within 7 seconds of meeting."

Those first impressions can become misleading due to the normal aging process and damage caused by stress, diet and environmental factors, particularly sun exposure.

"I call them the three D's of aging: Our skin begins to deteriorate; our faces deflate, making them narrower and wrinkled; and our eyelids and face descend, causing drooping and sagging," Scheiner says. "All of these can affect what our face communicates to those around us."

It's bad enough to communicate something you don't really feel, he says. It's worse when people react to that communication so often, such as saying, "You look so tired," that you actually begin to believe you are tired, he says.

He shares the three common "miscommunications":

•  "People say I look tired when I'm not."
As we age, our eyelids can begin to droop and look heavy, Scheiner says. The lower eyelid region often develops fullness below the lower lashes due to changes in the fat around the eye and changes in the facial fat of the surrounding cheek region. A lower eyelid height, heaviness of the upper or lower eyelid, or an eyebrow falling intotheupper eyelid space can also occur. Whatever the cause, having baggy, puffy eyes can make a person look tired, sleepy, old or sick.

•  "People avoid me because they say I look stern, even angry. I'm neither!"
Whether through genetics or aging, eyebrows may lack or lose the arc that opens up the eye area and the entire face. A fairly straight eyebrow can convey a closed, unapproachable personality.

•  "People think I'm sick or have no energy."
The brain expects to see a smooth curve from the temple to the cheek through the jawline to the chin. Any break in the curve is read as a lack of vibrancy. Normal facial aging causes loss of youthful fullness due to facial fat changes. This can cause a break in the curve that translates as a lack of vibrancy. In addition, poorly injected facial fillers can cause unnatural results.

Cosmetic procedures shouldn't aim to turn you into something you're not, Scheiner says.

"For rejuvenation, you simply want your face to communicate how you really feel inside. When you accomplish that, it's so natural, people will say, 'Wow, you look great!' But they won't be able to put their finger on why."

About Dr. Adam J. Scheiner

Adam J. Scheiner, M.D. is world-renowned in laser eyelid and facial plastic surgery for his groundbreaking treatment for Festoons. He wrote the medical text on the conditionand treated two complex causes of Festoons for the Dr. Oz and The Doctors TV shows.