Given my propensity to break/damage almost everything I own, I should probably own a laptop sleeve. (Seriously - don't lend me anything you love. I get so stressed trying not to break it that I end up accidentally doing something terrible. Self-fulfilling prophecy much?)

I love this laptop sleeve from Loopt. Bonus: it's made from recycled wet suits!

The yellow color is so great for spring, and I like the two zippered outer pockets. It's not letting me post a picture here, so be sure to click the link to see it for yourself.

As a southern Indiana native, I can openly admit that I’m not a big fan of Springfield winters.

Ice and snow covered my neighborhood’s streets and sidewalks for weeks in December and January, making driving difficult, dog-walking unsafe and running nearly impossible. (Note: I can lend credibility to this complaint. I attempted to take my foster pup Gunther for a quick jog in the park and slipped on a covered patch of ice. Think feet over head.)

As my co-worker Pat mentioned earlier, I’m training for a few different races, so I toughed it out some days. But on others, it was just easier to head to the gym. If you’re thinking that treadmills are a boring buzz-kill, you’re right. I completely agree. So this winter, I decided to try something new — interval workouts.

Interval workouts call for alternating fast-paced exercise with slower recovery periods. Here’s an example: run at 7 mph for two minutes, jog at 4 mph for three minutes, repeat. This method doesn’t just build endurance and burn more calories, but it also makes treadmill time fly by.

I usually do interval workouts on nights when I’m scheduled to run three or four miles. It’s so much easier to stomach the treadmill for 30 to 40 minutes when I know I’m breaking the workout into smaller, more manageable pieces. Plus, I can read up on the latest People and Us Weekly gossip during the recovery periods.

I’ve listed my two favorite interval workouts below. You can find these, plus two others, described in more detail here at Runner’s World (http://bit.ly/bf4UoJ). For an extra challenge, set the incline on your treadmill to 2 degrees. This helps add "air resistance" to indoor running.

Speed it up
Warm up for 10 minutes at a slow pace

Run 3 minutes at a fast pace
Jog 3 minutes at an easy pace
Run 3 minutes at a fast pace
Jog 3 minutes at an easy pace
Run 3 minutes at a fast pace
Jog 5 minutes at an easy pace

Cool down for 5 minutes at a slow pace

10-4’s
Warm up for 10 minutes at a slow pace

Run 10 minutes at a moderate pace
Jog 4 minutes at an easy pace
Run 10 minutes at a moderate pace
Jog 4 miles at an easy pace

Cool down for 10 minutes at a slow pace


Even though winter's almost over (finally!), these workouts will still come in handy on rainy March and April days. Thanks for reading & good luck!

Hello! I'm back. I've been spending a lot of time at the Capitol lately, and thus haven't been able to blog.

Anyway, I hope some of you have heard this NPR piece about Slow Death by Rubber Duck. If you haven't, here's a quick recap: two Canadian environmentalists spent two years monitoring the amount of chemicals in their bodies after regular use of household products like shampoo, plastic food containers and bathroom cleaners. Their book, Slow Death by Rubber Duck, shows that dangerous toxins like Bisphenol A (BPA), which is found in baby bottles and canned food, are ever-present in high levels in our bodies.

According to Environment Illinois, BPA has been linked to infertility, obesity, diabetes and breast and prostate cancers. 

But Smith and Lourie didn't need to take baths in mercury or eat tuna for a whole year to see the chemical levels in their bodies skyrocket. After just two days of eating only canned food microwaved in plastic containers and drinking from one of his son's old baby bottles, Smith saw a major rise in the levels of BPA in his body.

Coincidentally, a bill has been introduced in the House that would reduce the amount of BPA children are exposed to. HB 6088, the BPA-Free Kids Act, would require any BPA-containing products to come with a warning label. The bill is currently scheduled for a second reading in the House.

One controversial issue with children and BPA is flame-retardant pajamas and bedding. A lot of parents still insist on buying pj's made from fire-resistant fabric, which is soaked in chemicals. This blog, which provides some chemical-free alternatives, has suggestions about using wool bedding (a natural flame retardant) and cotton clothing as pajamas.

Obviously, I'm not a parent, so I don't understand the constant worries that go along with the toughest job there is. (So before I get angry comments, I just want to say that yeah, I haven't been in that situation.) However, I have a hard time believing that you can't live without toxin-laden Hannah Montana sheets. Is fire resistance really the biggest thing you have to worry about? Before choking hazards or asthma attacks or someone getting a concussion falling out of bed? I mean, this may sound harsh, but I have a feeling that fire is probably the least of your concerns. And if there is a fire, I don't think your Elmo pj's are going to save you. (Sorry.)

Anyway, I'm hoping to take some steps to clean without so many hazardous chemicals. Right now, I mostly use Comet and dish soap (super effective for getting film off your tub - unless you're like me and get too excited about creating Jackson Pollock patterns in your bathtub and you end up accidentally having a foam party in your bathroom while trying to clean), but I'd like to start using vinegar again. Check out 1001 ways to clean with vinegar for tips. We do it at my parents' house, and it's super effective, minus the smell (which is really no worse than any other cleaning agent.)

I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. I had friends stay last weekend, and I definitely need to clean my bathroom again. I'm going to pick up some vinegar and go to town!

Now that my legs have returned from the jelly-like state induced by the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Stair Climb on Feb. 20 at the Hilton Hotel in Springfield, I’ve had a chance to chat with a few other people involved in the event.

Lori Younker, director of Program Services and Development at the American Lung Association in Illinois, sent over some photos from the event to share: http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/imagesGalleries.php?action=viewGallery&gal_id=11

All photos are courtesy of SMD Photography and Dennis Oehmke.

The ALA blasted through their $50,000 fundraising goal to reach $53,160! Congrats to them, as well as all the climbers and everyone who donated.

Check out the event page here: http://ala.convio.net/site/TR?fr_id=1271&pg=entry

The winner of the climb was local expert Terry Purcell, whose 2 minute, 24 second ascent was absolutely amazing. (I’m pretty sure he’s a cyborg from the future!) Even cooler is the fact that his wife, Susan Purcell, clocked in at 3 minutes, 46 seconds, not only making her the top female in the race, but also netting her 13th place overall. (She totally blasted my time out of the water!)

As stated before, now is a great time to start practicing for next year. Climb stairs at your own pace once or twice a week for a year and see what happens. I would bet you’ll see your legs grow stronger and your stamina and lung capacity improve markedly.

Best wishes to everybody! Now get out there and Get FIT!

Staring upward from the feet of Polyphemus, I feel a twinge of vertigo overwhelm me. The arrogant, towering cyclops seems to lean over me, mocking me and threatening to crush me. He is unmoving, yet he seems ready to raise his club and end me.

%uFFFDA blink and a deep breath reveal Polyphemus to be the soaring Hilton Hotel - not the hungry spawn of Greek deities, but still intimidating enough to make me wish for a moment that I had stayed in bed. It's among the tallest buildings in the city, and my six-plus feet of height are negligible - even laughable - in comparison.

Inside, the elevator doors slide open with a cheerful "Bing!", beckoning me to take the easy way to the top. It's 30 floors - sixty flights of stairs. I turn away quickly, as if the elevator is trying to make eye contact. Once that happens, you've already lost.

"Not today," I think to myself, mustering the sort of angry motivation every movie underdog must feel when he prepares to take on his Goliath. My fists are clenched, my eyebrows are furled, and my determination burns hot like a gasoline fireball.

My teammate Amanda stands next to me, her even-keeled resolve calming us both. It's going to be a long climb up the winding steps that seem to spiral into the heavens, but we refuse to be defeated by a mere building. Though it stands still - an inanimate chunk of concrete and steel with no will of its own - it seems to thrash violently, like the angry cyclops blinded by the spear of Odysseus. We have no spears, only our worn-out running shoes, but we will subdue this beast. We will defeat the mighty Hilton.

In less epic terms: My co-worker Amanda and I are participating in the American Lung Association's Fight for Air Stair Climb on Feb. 20 at the Hilton. It's a fundraiser for the ALA in their fight against lung disease.

If you feel like supporting us with a donation, here's a link to our team page: http://ala.convio.net/site/TR/StairClimb/ALAUM_Upper_Midwest?pg=team&fr_id=1271&team_id=9440

All donations go directly to the ALA. Click on one of our names to donate. (Unfortunately, you can't donate to the team in general. You have to pick one of us.)

We are called "Slow Patrol" after the band "Snow Patrol". There's another team called "Death Climb for Cutie," so we couldn't resist another band pun. Hopefully we'll be patrolling for slow climbers, rather than just patrolling slowly.

Neither of us has ever done a stair climb like this, but we're both long-distance runners (Amanda is even training for a marathon in April), so we'll take whatever abuse the Hilton can dish out.

Hope you can support us either with a donation or by coming out to cheer us on. Thanks for reading!

This week has been crazy! I've been doing a lot of running around and going back-and-forth between our main office and the Capitol. (I also locked my keys in my car yesterday. That turned into a two-hour debacle with lots of ridiculous circumstances and oh god I don't wanna talk about it.) Hence, I haven't had a lot of blogging time. I haven't even had a lot of writing time, just note-taking and interviewing and transcribing and plugging my recorder into the speaker boxes at the statehouse. (If only they could plug directly into my brain and I wouldn't have to listen to the same statements a million times to make sure I got an accurate quote.)

So today's entry is kind of on the barely relevant side, but it's Friday and that I'll take that as an excuse. I have a bunch of "serious business" posts for next week, but I'm not feeling well and my brain is tired and I just want to go home and fall asleep to another episode of "White Collar" on my laptop. (The main character wears various fabulous vintage/thrifted suits and a fedora. LOVE IT.)

I know we think of Livejournal as a place for angsty teens to vent about how much they're over their latest high school catastrophe, but I have to say that I still enjoy their communities section. Though I'll always love Twitter/Facebook/YouTube, I really like having an easy-to-use public forum that allows users to post and comment on content/issues that are relevant to their interests.

LJ has infinite communities for any interest you can think of (and because it's the internet - some you probably don't want to think about), and most places allow all members to post. One thing I really like is their comments section in each post. A lot of blogs make it really hard to follow who's talking to whom. This means you'll miss all the really good internet fights, because you can't find the comment from the person who started it.

Anyway, LJ communities can be a great source of environmentally friendly news/facts/tips, etc. Don't neglect the comments! Sometimes you learn more there than in the actual posts.

Green Future: One of the largest LJ communities dealing with clean energy, renewable resources and sustainability. Over 1,400 members with pretty regular posting. A great resource!

Abandoned Places: OK, this is just barely squeaking by as relevant, but I can't help myself. I'm a huge fan of photography featuring urban blight/decay/abandonment. I don't really think this is contradictory to my role as an environmentally conscious person. I'd prefer we created sustainable structures that wouldn't fall out of use and into disrepair and ruin, but it happens, and we might as well draw attention to these properties through exploration and awareness. A lot of these photos are fantastic, and the stories behind the properties range from tragic to bizarre to haunting. I spend hours here when I'm procrastinating.

Thrift Horror: I love this community! It's an entire group blog committed to the creepy, weird, unsettling and just plain random things you find at the thrift store. Creepy clown paintings, 80s jumpsuits and clocks featuring taxidermy abound. It's always hilarious and totally intriguing and you might even find something from your local store. I should send my photo of the "back door guests are best" sign here. I need to get on that! (No pun intended. Gross.)

(I took this photo at the Salvation Army at Wabash and Chatham during my Halloween costume hunt last year. I can't believe I didn't buy it! For only 79 cents, I could've had endless hilarity. I never saw it again, which I hope means someone bought it. I like to think of some denim-skirt-wearing mom hanging this in the kitchen and her teenage son laughing hysterically.)

Anyway, these are just a few of the great communities on LJ. Don't be afraid to go there. You can find great things!

Yesterday, I went to the Compost Symposium at the State Fairgrounds. It was super interesting, and I wish I could've stayed for all the workshops. (Yeah so I like compost and worms and stuff. Deal.) You can read all about it in this week's edition, but I just wanted to share some wisdom from the event's keynote speaker.

The speaker was Ken Dunn, founder and director of The Resource Center in Chicago. Dunn's a huge believer in Composting To Save The World. Though he's very passionate about his beliefs, I really liked what he had to say about individuals making a change, and not waiting for a global initiative.

"Let's just go back to keeping it simple, and making incremental choices," Dunn said. "And for goodness sake, stay away from being obsessed with it. It's not good for you and it's not good for your friends. Do what you can, but don't make an issue out of what to do with every apple core, or if your friends are taking the elevator, saying 'sorry I'm walking.' Just do what you can."

I love this because I think it's so important not to be a snooty environmentalist. Environmental consciousness isn't some special badge of honor. Everyone has the ability to make small, simple changes. The only thing you have that someone else doesn't is education that allows you to make smart decisions.

(If you haven't realized, this card is basically the theme of my blog.)

I think the key to understanding a lot of issues is realizing that not everybody has the same knowledge and experiences that you have. I grew up in a pretty privileged environment, and while I thank my family and friends for getting me through four years at an affluent and snobby high school and four years at a Big 10 university relatively unscathed, I still find myself having to explain to people that not everybody knows what you know.

Be patient with people. Gently correct them if you think they can take it. (If they're not the type who can handle "getting told," then you're just going to end up fighting a losing battle.) It's not worth losing a friend because they threw away a soda can instead of recycling it.

Worry about you. Do what you can.

"What i want everybody to remember is that, if it's true that we're changing our climate beyond our right to, then we've got a great responsibility," Dunn said. "We shouldn't resent the older generations for what we ourselves did in previous ages, we should only recognize that from what we know now, we can do better."

Great advice!

I'm not going to lie, I'll probably spend a fair portion of my weekend doing laundry.

It may not be glamorous or exciting (as glamorous and exciting as this town gets when I saw a bartender wearing overalls last Friday night - step it up, Springfield!) but I have a pile of dirty clothes that have been lurking in my closet since a few weeks into this internship. It's gotten to the point where I have to fight with my closet doors before they'll shut under the blob of wool cardigans and pencil skirts. It's not pretty, but there you have it.

Soon, perhaps tonight, I'll be using the steps I'm about to list in Tip #5: go longer with your laundry.

Everyone has to do laundry. If you're fortunate enough to have your own washing machine and dryer, then I'm already jealous. I had that luxury at my college house, and even though the location made it kind of hard to get to, I miss it. (The only way to our laundry room was through someone else's bedroom - super awkward if you're like me and prefer doing laundry at night. Creeping around your roommates while they're sleeping/hooking up/possibly doing other unsavory things is not ideal.) It's actually better to do your laundry at non-peak hours (after 8 p.m.) anyway.

(Semi-related song with a cute video. Also one of my favorites ever.)

Laundry Tip #1: Don't over-dry your clothes!

Not only will it make things tighter (ever try to put on skinny jeans when they're fresh out of the dryer? not fun.), it can also cause color-fading, or even your clothes to shrink permanently. You know when you see a black shirt at the thrift store and it's all pilled-up and sad-looking? Someone washed that too many times. Don't do this to your clothes! (Unless you're the girl wearing overalls at the bar last weekend. Then, do this. Do this until your overalls shrink down to infant-sized. That's the only time they're acceptable.)

Over-drying can waste a ton of energy, and consequently cost you money! If you're operating a dryer at your house, find out exactly how long you'll need, so you can pull your clothes out without wasting time. If you're an apartment-dweller (like me), this is harder because some dryers don't let you start them again if you open the door halfway through the cycle. However, from my own personal experience, you don't need a full hour to dry your clothes. If you go with the recommended medium-sized load, they should be done in 40 mins or less.

Laundry Tip #2: Air dry any remaining damp items.

Cotton items like towels and underwear tend to dry pretty quickly. Take those out after like, 30 minutes, and finish the laundry with the remaining items. This will dry your other clothes quicker. If you've reached an hour of drying and stuff still isn't done (like at my apartment complex, ugh) you can just air-dry the rest of your clothes.

I'm not advocating that you dance with the Snuggle bear while hanging your delicates on an outdoor clothesline in a sun-drenched meadow smelling of daisies and fluff. I'm just saying it's not that hard to put your still-damp sweaters over a chair or table. In the morning, they'll be dry and you can wear them to work/school. It's not like you're going to put away your laundry right away anyway.

Also, I know my clothes will wrinkle the second I put them in the hamper for the trip back to my apartment. If they're a bit damp and you lay them flat for a few hours, they'll be wrinkle-free. Problem solved.

Laundry Tip #3: Don't overload the machine.

This seems like common sense, but I see people doing this all the time. I saw dudes in college stuffing every hoodie they owned, plus bedsheets, plus their skeezy boxers into one machine. Um ... no.

Overloading the machine means you'll spend more time washing and drying, thus you're wasting energy. Unnecessary. Some washers will tell you not to fill past a certain point, but the bottom line is: if you're struggling to stuff it all in (that's what she said?), there's a problem.

I separate my massive amount of dirty laundry into piles (work clothes, lounging-at-home stuff, going-out shirts) and then wash them according to need. If you do this, it cuts down on the urge to cram everything in all at once. Also, you can procrastinate more by only doing laundry when you run out of dress pants/underwear/t-shirts without a provocative slogan. (Not that I would know anything about that ... )

Happy laundering!

BONUS TIP: Maybe don't ever put your shoes in the dryer at 4 a.m. One of my roommates did this on a weeknight because she thought it would get rid of the dampness in her sneakers before a morning walk to class. It didn't help. It sounded like a heard of elephants having a rave outside my bedroom the night I had to work a nine-hour day. It was the worst. Don't do this!

Did you catch my mallards story in today's paper? I hope so. I had a lot of fun writing and researching it. Who knew people studied ducks so intensely?

Anyway, here's Tip #4: use a humidifier.

As I'm sure you know, everything dries out in the winter: your skin, your sinuses and even the air in your home. While some of us (especially those of us from Michigan - a state where the average July day makes you feel like you're swimming through a tepid pool of water) may be excited about this, lack of humidity can cause your heating bills to skyrocket.

The good thing about humidity is that it can make you feel warmer in the winter. According to WE Energies, our homes need between 20 and 40 percent humidity levels.

With the proper humidity level, you’ll be able to turn your thermostat down to a lower temperature, save energy and still feel comfortable.

Humidifiers come in all kinds of colors/shapes/styles these days. A lot of people think they're ugly, and I remember my mom having one in the early 90s that was a hideous beige box. But now you can get them in cute shapes, like frogs and pandas and dragons. If that's a little too twee for you (and if you're not perpetually 13 years old like me), you can get basic ones at Meijer or Target. I think Vick's Vapo Rub even has ones that spit their signature vapor when you're sick.

(I don't care, I love this frog! He's my favorite color and I want him to be my humidity-inducing bff. The duck, though, is another story. I think he'd kill me in my sleep.)

Now I know what some of you are thinking. "How am I saving energy if I'm buying another item I have to plug in?" That's true, I won't deny it. However, you don't need to run a humidifier very long to see the difference. We ran ours for about an hour each night, or when it was particularly dry. Some people leave them on while sleeping, but it's ultimately your call. Plus, most shut down when the water runs out.

Plus there are major long-term benefits. No more static shocks every time you open your closet door. No more dried out nasal passages. (I hate this! It gives me a headache all day.) No more cranking the thermostat because you just can't get comfortable. I know when it's dry I drink water all day long and still never feel refreshed. I get tired and sluggish and spend 30 minutes contemplating getting off my couch for another ice cube. It's the worst.

And if you can't afford a humidifier, you can just boil a pan of water with the lid off until it runs out. This will make steam and circulate it throughout your house. It's not fancy, but it works.

Come back tomorrow for the final tip. It'll be Friday, I know you'll be procrastinating at work.

Living in a dorm introduced me to the wonderful world of power strips/surge protectors. I wasn't concerned with saving my electronics from power outages as much as I was delighted by the opportunity to plug a million things into one old, tiny outlet.

Since I moved away from home, I've lived in a variety of ridiculously small rooms. (I do not exaggerate. I've shared a 10x10 space with three other people when I worked at summer camp and I spent my senior year in a bedroom that makes Harry Potter's cupboard under the stairs look like a luxury suite.) Surge protectors have saved me numerous times, when there's only one outlet for multiple people and their computers, ipods, phone chargers, etc.

However, as great as power strips can be, if you're not careful, all those electronics plugged into one place can add to energy bill like crazy.

While surge protectors can save space/energy when you're actively using them, most appliances will continue to add to your utility bill if you don't unplug when you're done using them.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, electronics can carry "phantom loads." (And no, that's not a euphemism.)

Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off. These "phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.

I don't know about you, but I'm not cool with 75% of my electric bill happening when my stuff's switched off!

This article from Cleveland.com (sorry Cleveland, whenever you're mentioned all I can think of is the Cleveland Tourism Ad), says you can save about $110 a year by unplugging unused appliances. They even break it down to individual devices. Unplugging my cell phone charger can buy me a couple new skirts at the thrift store? I'm in!

Cell phone charger: about $10 each year. Computer speakers: $4 per year. Dumping that desktop for a laptop could put $36 in your pocket annually.

Unplug. Save Money. Buy awesome things. Let's do this.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm addicted to public radio news ... and when I'm not listening to that I'm typically shuffling CDs in my car.      I've never been inclined to dial up radio on my computer -- but something crossed my desk earlier this week that made me think I just might give that a re-think.     New music? Artists who aren't part of the music machine?  A chance for  locals to find fame and fortune?  Online and no commercials?     This sounds like fun --- well worth supporting.                 Mark your calendar for 2/26 and set your computer to power217radio.com.   Read on ...    sw                             

We invite you to join our quest to launch Springfield, IL's first online urban music station. MacGriff Media Inc./Power217Radio.com was initially a joint business venture between two Illinois natives. Angel Macon and Ben Griffin founded MacGriff Media Inc., in the fall of 2007, with the goal of someday launching Springfield's first Urban music station! MacGriff Media Inc, is now the parent company to Power217Radio.com!

Our Mission is to help  artists break into the music industry by providing a gateway of opportunity not available with traditional radio stations. As major record labels pull back on promotion for new artists, Power217radio.com will shine a spotlight on the songs of talented musicians from around the world. A strong hit potential score coupled with Power217radio’s viral marketing tools will help level the playing field for the millions of artists working hard to break out.

Power217Radio.com will launch on February 26th 2010.  MacGriff Media will be hosting a launch party at the Hilton Garden Inn located in Springfield, IL. The event will showcase the talent of unseen unsigned recording artists from as far away as Philadelphia.  The event is open to the public. There will be a cash bar, food, and does require a $10 cover charge. Early arrival is recommended as seating is limited!

 MacGriff Media Inc. P.O. Box 9224 Springfield, IL 62791 1-866-376-9292

The Courtyard Marriott is just a few weeks away from completing a top to bottom renovation ... and they want the world to know what's coming. The westside hotel is at 3462 Freedom Drive -- and soon every guest room, the lobby and Starbuck's coffee shop will be ready for their close up. They promise that even the most seasoned traveler will be impressed.

 Call them at 217-793-5300 to book a room for your spring break visitors. Target date for all the finishing touches: April Fools Day, 2010.

sw

I'm a creature of habit - the waitstaff at Town and Country's Dublin Pub see me so often they know what I'll order right down to the request that we move past the iceberg straight to the Romaine. And please don't forget the hot sauce.

A couple of weeks ago  this locally owned restaurant doubled my fun.   If you haven't already heard about it: now there is a 2nd location of the already popular  Dublin Pub at Vinegar Hill Mall.    I like the old place just fine, but the new location is brighter and bigger and also has a spacious  bar area with high top tables (my personal favorite, probably because I'm vertically challenged) and a roomy bar with plenty of seats -- as nice as any bar in town if you ask me.    It is great to see Vinegar Hill Mall coming back to life and especially nice to have a new place to meet folks that is near downtown but still walking distance for so many state workers.

Here at IT we've done business with our old friend Joe Rupnik for years and Joe's finger prints are all over this place.   But another old IT friend Flint Maccomber(who managed the Pasta House for many years) is a co-owner in this new venture.    One of Flint's inspirations is the cleverly named Pony Express --- you guessed it, a 'build your own pony shoe' food bar ... you only get one trip through but load your plate as high as you choose with all the famous fixin's, fries and cheese, cheese, cheese.

Around here we celebrate whenever a new local business is born - from the looks of the crowd earlier this week the new Dublin Pub is gonna have a long and happy home at Vinegar Hill.    They're open from 11am to 1am 7 days a week -- lunch, dinner, drinks, late night snacks.  

Happy Groundhog Day, readers! Here's an appropriately-themed card.

Welcome back to Tips & Tricks Week! (Does that sound dirty? I don't mean for it to imply prostitutes and dollar bills in g-strings. Maybe I need a new title.)

On day two, let's talk about home energy audits. While green building has become more and more popular, most of us live in homes built before energy efficiency was a priority. The rest of us live in shoddily-constructed abodes, like my college house in Michigan with its single-paned glass, two inefficient furnaces and visible cracks where the floor met the walls. (Yeah, classy.)

An energy audit is a great way to determine how best to save on utility bills in your home. I don't know that it would do much for an apartment, especially since you don't really have climate control beyond turning your own thermostat, but it's great if you've got an older (or as previously mentioned, university-slumlord-constructed) house.

Most people think of an energy audit as a costly, time-consuming, pain in the ass. However, it's really worth it. The auditor will inspect your home from basement to attic, checking your insulation, caulk, weatherstripping, doors, windows, and lighting and other appliances. They will also do an air-blowing test (using a fan they attach to an exterior door) to find out if you have any drafts, and if so, where they are coming from. At the end of the audit, the expert will give you a list of efficiency providers/products, depending on your needs.

The process takes about two hours. Not bad, considering it can save you money for years to come.

I realize that not everybody can afford to take all the steps the auditor might list. Just like when you go to the salon and they recommend you buy a pricey new ceramic flatiron along with special curl-enhancing shampoo and conditioner. Oh, and throw in some hair spray while you're at it.

The point is, if you can't afford to get everything, get one thing. Just like you'd maybe buy the flatiron and leave everything else, work on affording a more efficient refrigerator or furnace. Small steps - they work!

Here are some local places to get an energy audit. (If you're an energy auditor and I've left your business off the list - comment or e-mail me and I'd be happy to add you to this post.)

City Water, Light and Power does home energy audits for $25. If you make any of the suggested improvements within a year of the audit, you can get the original fee back in a rebate.

Home Energy Solutions is a privately-owned local company that offers audits for varying prices, depending on the size of the home.

Springfield Electric also does home energy audits. I've linked to the page with their contact information, as no prices are listed online.

The Green Center at Lincoln Land Community College has a great page showing how to get an energy audit if you can't afford one. There's a U.S. Department of Energy service that offers weatherization services to low-income families. If you think you might qualify, or want to learn more, check it out here.

If you're the do-it-yourself type, here are a few resources:

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a good checklist.

The Home Energy Saver is a web-based tool that allows you to calculate your current energy use and potential savings.

Those are the resources I've found. As said above, let me know if you've had experience with other energy auditors.

See you tomorrow, after the primary, for tip #3! (Reminder -- go vote if you're an Illinois resident and not a transient from Michigan who's saving her vote for her struggling home state's August primary.)

I'll admit that I'm not perfect. The point of this blog is not to preach at you to hug a tree or save a penguin.

I like to think that I'm a non-judging environmentalist. I enjoy saving the earth/whales/redwoods/whatever, but I understand that we're all busy with our own lives and sometimes it's hard to take that extra energy-saving step. What I want to do is take small, simple steps to reduce my own carbon footprint.

Anyway, it's a new month, and as my friend and fellow healthy-living enthusiast Rachel says, it only takes 21 days to form a habit. So this week, I'll be bringing you five easy tips and tricks that will save energy and save you money! I hope they'll be habit-forming in a good way, not in a sleeping pills and Jack Daniels kind of way.

Five Energy-Saving Tips and Tricks

1.) Put plastic over your windows in winter

Last year, my housemates and I got together and covered all our windows with plastic sheeting to help prevent drafts and save energy. I lived with four other girls, and we each had our own bedrooms, plus the kitchen, living and dining areas. We lived in a large, practically particle board house shoddily constructed by university slumlords in the late 80s, so we desperately needed any heat-saving measures available. (It took about an hour or so, but like I said, we had a huge house. I'm planning on covering my apartment windows and it probably won't take more than 20 minutes.) This was a BIG help on our heating bills and our bodies. Our house stayed warm all winter, and we were able to spend less on utilities than our neighbors.

I recommend securing the plastic with double-stick tape for maximum hold. I prefer the transparent plastic sheeting, since I really need sunlight in my life, but the opaque kind works just as well (though it lets less light in.) If you're the Red Green kind (wait - will anyone in Illinois get this reference? Have I lived too close to Canada for too long? When you grow up 45 minutes from the border, you forget that Tim Hortons and CBC are not universal.) you can use duct tape.

Plastic sheeting and hardcore double-sided tape should be available at your local hardware store or any large chain store. With the recession, more people are trying to save on their heating bills, so these materials have become pretty commonplace anywhere that will sell you a hammer.

So that's the first tip of the week. Not exactly revolutionary, but I promise it'll work! My parents have been doing this for years, and it really makes a difference. It's especially good for dorm/apartment situations, or anywhere with that single-paned glass builders use to cut costs. When I lived in a drafty residence hall built in the 1930s, I knew many people who swore by plastic sheeting. It's definitely a great solution when you don't want to turn up the thermostat.

Come back tomorrow for Tip #2!

Exercise is not everyone’s cup of tea. You get sweaty, you get tired and many of us feel we have to go to the gym to get a real workout. But there are plenty of exercises that don’t require a lot of time, space or equipment.

Lately, I’ve been doing the Prison Workout (here), a regimen of strength-building moves, including Burpees (video), planks (video) and more. It’s a pretty big challenge to complete all of the exercises, but they’re all pretty simple and straightforward, and you’ll get a whole-body workout.

The planks really intrigue me. How can you exercise if you don’t move?! It’s one of several exercises called “isometrics” – workouts where you tense up certain muscles and hold them to build strength in that position. Isometrics are really good for increasing muscle mass and firming up. Read more here.

What other similar exercises do you like?

I've been crazy busy lately, so I haven't had time to post. I'm working on a longer piece about wildlife tracking and restoration in the Emiquon Preserve (about 1.5 hours northwest of Springfield, off State Road 97 near the Dirksen Mounds.)

It's been fun, but I'm glad my little city girl car could make the trek there and back! My parents both worked in Detroit, and bought vehicles that reflected their, as my dad referred to them, "Detroit driving techniques." This means tiny, fuel-efficient cars with absolutely no real traction. They're meant to dart in between semis and crack heads on the Lodge Freeway, not to go off-roading in Central Illinois' floodplains.

Anyway, I'm alive and I'm super excited about my story!

On that note, I'm gonna make this a short one because I still have a ton of work to do this week.

Speaking of Detroit, my alma mater (MSU - don't hate! I couldn't care less about sports so any smack talk is totally wasted on me anyway.) did a really interesting piece this fall about a new source of energy. It's ... unexpected, to say the least. I'd love to see Illinois trying this out! I know you've got horses somewhere.

In Michigan, they say pop.

Though with Central/Northern accents it sounds like "PAHH-p."

People in my state also keep their excess pop in the garage. Do you guys in Illinois do this? (Coworkers Pat and Amanda said their families do, but I need more opinions!) I'd never heard of this bizarre tradition until I moved to Michigan as an elementary schooler and started visiting friends' houses. They'd always ask me if I wanted a pop, and then head out the door. I don't get this. Sure, it stays cold in the winter. But what about in the summer? Isn't it lukewarm and disgusting that way? Why are you keeping beverages in the place where you store your car/lawnmower/excess dog food?

My family keeps our soda in the basement fridge, you freaks.

No matter what you call it, or how you store it, most of us drink a lot of pop.

Sodastream wants to revolutionize how we drink it.

This company has invented a product that allows families to make their own carbonated beverages at home, whenever they choose. They claim Sodastream will save money, and the environment by reducing the use of disposable bottles and cans.

Sodastream converts tap water to carbonated water in less than a minute, and with the addition of flavor packets, produces individual servings of any soft drink.

I love the idea of no more empty cans!

SodaStream is an "Active Green" product, meaning that consumers are actively reducing their CO₂ footprint every time they make soda or sparkling water at home instead of buying it from the store. The more the system is used on a daily basis, the more CO₂ footprint the user actively saves.

It's an interesting idea, and I can see how it'd be cost-effective, but I'm not sure I could see myself spending upward of $100 on the machine itself, plus the carbonators and flavor packets and all the accessories. Still, I spend an average $6 a week on diet coke (yes, I recycle the empties), so I can see how it'd be a good investment.

I'm not sure I personally have the time and energy to make my own soda every day, but again, I can see how it would be beneficial. I mean, I make coffee. It's not like it'd be that different. I know we often shrug off earth-saving ideas just because they seem more time-consuming. I'm trying to work on that, because it's important for me to take those extra steps to make a difference.

Maybe someday, when I've got a stable income, I'll buy my own soda-maker. I love the idea of having what ever flavor I want, without having to buy a 12-pack. Also, as someone with a citrus allergy (why is lemon a staple ingredient in everything these days?), I could get unique flavors like cran-raspberry without spending a lot of money.

Has anyone tried making their own soda? With the individual servings, at the very least you won't need to store it in your garage!