Three-Day Weekend Could be a Gas-Saver
Here’s an idea even the most un-green person could warm up to: a four-day work week.
Several communities across the U.S. are considering four-day work weeks for government employees as a way to reduce commuting demands and gas consumption. The various efforts have typically been inspired by today’s record-high fuel prices, but the idea promises other benefits too: lower greenhouse gas emissions, happier and more well-rested employees and cost savings elsewhere (i.e., less energy to cool/heat and light offices, reduced need for work-time child-care, etc.).
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Among the places eyeing shorter work weeks are Queen Creek, Arizona and the state of Virginia. Others experimenting with the switch include Marion County (Ocala), Florida, and cities in California, Arizona and Nevada.
Where some agencies see a benefit, though, at least one sees a downside. Officials in Ohio are moving to dump their state’s flex-time program for employees, citing a need for better customer service for their citizens.
While I understand the frustration of visiting a government office only to wait long, excruciatingly boring hours for help from a grossly understaffed office, I don’t think Ohio’s strategy is a wise one. Maybe the state is just doing it wrong.
If a four-day work week can help the environment some, increased telecommuting could help even more. Consider these stats from one recent study: if the 40 percent of U.S. workers who could work from home did, the nation could cut oil consumption by up to 625 million barrels per year, reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 107 million metric tons and save $43 billion in gas costs. And the commuting time saved would give each employee more time for other things: the equivalent of five extra weeks of vacation each year.
Now who, green or not, couldn’t get behind that?
