The healing has begun.
Millions of Americans addicted to gluttonous energy consumption are suddenly realizing their errant ways.
It's amazing what $2.60-a-gallon gasoline will do to unleash long-suppressed energy conservation instincts.
The highest oil and gasoline prices in U.S. history have become the No. 1 consumer topic in America. It's not quite as cool to drive a big ol' Hummer anymore, is it?
Lots of Americans won't shed their energy-squandering habits even if gas tops $4 a gallon. But the prevailing mood has changed.
Americans are doing all kinds of things to conserve fuel - combining five weekend errands into a single trip, watching TV instead of going to a movie theater, planning a Labor Day trip closer to home, getting their cars tuned up or lowering driving speeds.
Some are thinking bigger. They're considering trading in that 7,000-pound SUV for a Japanese gas-electric hybrid that exceeds 45 miles per gallon, or they're switching to bus or rail transit for their daily commute.
Many Americans understandably feel helpless in a world of $2.60 gas. Even if the price hits $3.60 or $4.60, that increasingly expensive oil-based cocktail is essential to getting them where they've got to go.
But there's no reason to feel helpless. In a nation that contains only about 5 percent of the world's population but consumes roughly 25 percent of its oil, there are literally hundreds of ways that we can cut energy consumption without retreating to Walden Pond.
Let's focus on transportation, given that gas prices are Topic A.
There are all the obvious fuel-saving tips, like avoiding jack-rabbit starts at intersections and keeping your tires properly inflated. But let's look at the big picture.
Here's what should be Rule No. 1 for those who don't want to spend $50 to $100 a week filling up their tank: Make fuel economy a major part of your decision-making process when you buy a vehicle and decide where to live.
Having lived almost all my life in Texas, here's one illogical trait I've noticed among many vehicle buyers in the Lone Star State:
A person often will buy an oversized pickup or mammoth SUV because the jumbo size will prove beneficial three or four times a year for tasks such as hauling extra-large consumer items home (for example, a stack of lumber or a new mattress and box spring) or squiring around a gaggle of out-of-town visitors. But in many instances, these pickup or SUV buyers could spend $10,000 less on a new vehicle, plus save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year in fuel costs, by buying a smaller, more fuel-efficient mid-size or compact model.
What about those three or four times a year when a bigger vehicle is vital?
You could pay a pickup-owning neighbor $50 to help bring the lumber or bedding home, or perhaps have a store deliver it to your house for a similar fee. And you could rent an extra-big SUV for perhaps $250 to $300 if you needed to escort a sizeable number of out-of-town guests around on a weekend.
Many Texans also should give greater consideration to vehicle fuel and maintenance costs when they choose where to live and work.
I've heard numerous people over the years explain, for example, that they chose to live in a remote rural location to "avoid city taxes."
In many instances, those dodged city taxes might total $1,000 to $1,500 annually, or possibly less. But the additional vehicle costs for a lengthy rural-to-urban work commute easily could total two or three times more than the tax savings.
First, there are the higher fuel and maintenance costs. And the more miles driven each year, the sooner the vehicle owner will have to shell out big bucks for a replacement vehicle.
Obviously, numerous other factors might influence a person's decision on what vehicle to buy and where to live.
If your job requires the use of a large pickup on a daily basis, you obviously should buy one. And if you can't be happy without living in the country, that might override your concern about added vehicle costs for a lengthy job commute to the city.
My current work commute of 4.2 miles is the longest I've had in the 34 years since I graduated from college. It's always been important to me to live close to work, because a short commute lowers my transportation costs and gives me extra time for activities more fulfilling than sitting in traffic. Longer commutes also increase the risk of having a traffic accident and contribute to poorer air quality.
Most Americans have considerable opportunities to lower their transportation costs - and help the environment - by reducing the quantity of gasoline they burn and the miles they travel. And many are finally beginning to realize that, thanks to $2.60-a-gallon gas.
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