Walking the Walk

After 12 years and 220,000 miles, my old reliable Maxima finally died. Funeral arrangements for the beloved Max were held at a WUNC auction where $550 was raised for Max's favorite non-profit.

So, that left me with the task of figuring out what car I wanted next. I couldn't bring myself to do any serious consideration before Max died. I felt like a traitor. He was going to last me another year, for sure! My big motivator was having to drive around in the temporary vehicle - a 1991 red Ford F150. No, not a rental car, but a family truck kept for moving, yard work, what have you. While this was fun conversation, it really drove home to realities. 1st, I can't be driving around in a gas hog AND be marketing myself as a sustainability consultant. 2nd, this thing is a GAS HOG! With prices at the low-low price of $4.00 per gallon, I can't afford the gas to get me where I need to go when the truck gets maybe 10 miles/gallon...SO. I started looking around at cars. Guess what? There aren't many sales to be had on high mpg cars these days. So, instead of looking for a used car I went for a new one. I was considering the usual suspects - a Prius (tough to find), a Civic or Accord hybrid, or a Corolla or Camry Hybrid. What I found is there wasn't a drastic difference in gas mileage between a Civic and Corolla (both ~35mpg), or between the Civic hybrid vs. traditional engine.

But then came the carbon footprint calculator, and my decision was all but made for me. The Prius has less CO2 emissions, uses fewer petroleum during the lifetime of the vehicle, has lower annual fuel costs, AND is a mid-size car vs. a compact car. There are all kinds of interesting facts on this website around fuel efficiency. It really helped me make my decision.

When I talk with folks about how to integrate sustainability into their decisions, it doesn't always have to be about saving the planet. It's okay for it to be about fuel efficiency or saving money. We calcualted I would save $150/month on fuel by purchasing the Prius. That helped me justify the financial side of buying a new car. But I can also take comfort in the fact that I've reduced my vehicle's carbon emissions by 1/2, have reduced my use of fuel, and am promoting hybrid technology. I call that a win-win.