better choice, averaging 41 mpg. Cost comparisons show that an HEV can save a heavily travelling city driver nearly $1,000 in fuel costs annually versus a comparably sized conventional gasoline powered car. Although a 2014 midsized HEV has an average suggested retail price of $28,431, the category has been around long enough to create a market in previously owned vehicles. A used hybrid that is just two years old can cost up to 25 percent less than a new one.
Eco-friendly choices for housing, vehicles and food— generally perceived as expensive for the average individual or family—often are not only attain- able when pursued in a thoughtful way, but can actually save us money compared to maintaining the status quo.
transportation choices, the combined cost can be less than 40 percent.” In most suburbs, where the only
practical transportation choice is a personal vehicle, dependency on a car takes a toll on us financially and physi- cally. Driving a personal vehicle 15,000 miles a year can cost about $9,122 annually in ownership and operating expenses, according to AAA’s 2013 Your Driving Costs report, and hours spent daily sitting behind the wheel being sedentary is eroding our health. Lack of transportation options is a lead- ing detriment to the nation’s collective wellness, according to the federal agency Healthy People. Sustainable cities provide many
transportation options, including public buses and trains, car-sharing services and all forms of ride sharing; and perhaps most importantly, they are bike and pedestrian friendly. Choosing com- munities that make it possible to reduce driving and even go car-free much of the time can save us money, reduce stress and improve our health.
3. Choosing a Car We know two primary facts about cars:
They are expensive and those with inter- nal combustion engines pollute during operation. Still, many of us need one. Reducing the total impact and burden of owning a car can be as simple as prioritizing fuel efficiency. It helps that
fuel-sippers now come in more sizes than just small, yet small subcompacts remain a good place to start our research because of their budget-friendly prices and high fuel economy. A subcompact that averages 32 miles per gallon (mpg) and has a sticker price below $15,000 can save us so much money compared with a top-selling com- pact SUV—upwards of $16,000 over five years, according to
Edmunds.com—that if we need a larger vehicle on occasion, we can more easily afford to rent one. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), both small and midsized, can be an even
4. Buying American According to Consumer Reports, many
shoppers prefer to buy products made in the USA, but with more than 60 percent of all consumer goods now produced overseas, finding American goods is not always easy. The good news is that buying Ameri-
can doesn’t mean only buying American made. We back the U.S. economy and jobs when we purchase used items that have been renewed or repurposed by enterprising citizens. Creative reuse sup- ports new and existing businesses that collect, clean, sort, recondition, refurbish, remanufacture, update, refinish, reuphol- ster, repair, tailor, distribute and sell used parts, materials and finished goods. Sarah Baird, director of outreach and communications of the Center for a New American Dream, an organiza- tion working to shift consumption away from wasteful trends, loves the history of used items. She says, “An item that has
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hardarshan@sacredlistener.com natural awakenings April 2014 41
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