As a cool summer breeze blows over the vast farmland outside Hopedale, about 50 miles north of Springfield, the whisper of rustling corn leaves almost drowns out the soft, intermittent whooshing sound of three gargantuan fan blades slowly slicing through the air. Four hundred feet above the cornstalks, the fiberglass blades turn a generator capable […]
Energy
Posted inNews
10 things you can do in Springfield to save the planet
The Earth Day issue: Save. Simplify. Grow. Make a difference. You don’t have to be Captain Planet, Al Gore or Rachel Carson to help the environment. Saving energy, preserving natural resources and reducing waste are easier than you think! Small changes in your lifestyle can have positive results for the planet, your pocketbook and your […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Earth Hour is this Saturday!
Just a reminder that Earth Hour is this Saturday from 8:30-9:30 p.m. It’s simple: turn off your lights for an hour to demonstrate your support for global climate change initiatives. Last year, over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009. Major landmarks also […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day Five
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 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day Four
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 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day Three
Tip #3- Unplug it! 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 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day Two
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 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Energy-saving tips and tricks: Day One
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 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Green Links 1/28: Straight from the Horse’s …
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
‘Great Refrigerator Roundup’ is a bad bargain
Until Springfield develops a taste for warm beer, refrigerators will continue to account (with air conditioners) for the major part of every household’s electricity bill. That’s especially true if the fridge is old. City Water, Light & Power estimates that there are 40,000 ice boxes built B.C. — Before Clinton — that are still running […]
Posted inNews
Hyundai asks car crew to increase fuel efficiency fast
Kevin Smith and the crew from Illuminati Motorworks took a detour in their quest for the Progressive Automotive X Prize (AXP), but, as Smith says, “It was an offer we couldn’t refuse.” With Smith at the helm, the local team of engineers, automotive technicians and car enthusiasts began working in August 2007 to design a […]
