Instead of scratching my head and cursing fate the next time I need a good idea, my plan is to call Golden Pen winner Diane Hawk.

Hawk and I basically solved the energy crisis earlier in the week when she collected her award for the best letter to the editor during June. Our interview mainly consisted of her making one great suggestion after another and me saying, "That's right!"

At one point I asked Hawk what motivated her to write about wasteful driving practices - speeding, tailgating, jackrabbit starts and single-purpose treks, among other things.

"I was ticked off because of the guy who won in May," she said, referring to a letter that argued for increased oil production. "It bugged me that he's blaming the producers."

As Hawk said in her letter, the person responsible for soaring gas prices looks at us daily in mirrors across the nation.

Hawk's letter collected 56 votes. She narrowly outpolled Sherry Somers of Ewing, who got 53 votes for her sharp-eyed critique of state government, and Bill Warhausen of Carbondale, who received 45 votes for a letter criticizing plans to move IDOT workers out of Springfield.

Hawk, who lives in Cobden, described herself as a stay-at-home mom but she also does part-time work in Carbondale. She and her husband, Darrell, have four children ranging in age from 6 to 25.

People need to take responsibility for their lives, Hawk explained. It's possible to spend less on gasoline by combining trips and driving fewer miles. People who want low mortgage payments can learn how to build an affordable home. Effective recycling practices will ease demand for trash collections and new landfills.

"I watch the news. I read the newspaper," Hawk said. "Do something yourself. Don't wait for somebody to do something for you, 'cause it ain't going to happen."

She practices what she preaches. The family got a smaller, more fuel efficient car when gasoline prices began the big price spike. Darrell rides a 100 mpg scooter to his DNR job at Giant City State Park. Trips that require a car involve several tasks - the drive to Carbondale for our interview also included stops to pick up carpet and fence sections.

What about recycling? Or home construction?

Each week the Hawk family recycles all but six pounds of trash, which easily fits in a single bag. They live in an energy efficient home that is surrounded by earth on three sides and can afford to run air conditioning from May through September. The home provides 1,900 square feet of living space for a monthly mortgage payment of less than $400.

"We built our home ourselves, so our mortgage is really low," Hawk said. "Those who can afford it, pay someone. Those who can't afford it, learn how."

GARY METRO is the editor of The Southern. You can reach him at 351-5033 or gary.metro@thesouthern.com.