Telecommuting as energy saver

The Christian Science Monitor has an opinion piece called Telecommuting as energy saver which is nicely done.

Here are a few juicy excerpts:

This new work freedom, properly handled, has the power to transform business, government, and home life. Telecommuters – those who work at home or on the road with no office at all – now number between 28 million and 32 million, according to some estimates...

Cutting out that round-trip commute to the office – which averages about 23 miles – can save nearly $1,000 a year in gasoline and avoid putting more than 6,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere...

Recent hearings in Congress focused on telecommuting as a way to deal with traffic, terrorism, oil dependency, and global warming. Some participants noted that remote employees make it possible for offices to operate during a serious storm, terrorist attack, or other emergency.

That last point is especially interesting. Setting up a teleworkforce plan before disaster strikes is just good business. And once you have it setup, why not just execute on the plan NOW? Look at thoses stats on CO2 emmissions reduction!