Research
Work-At-Home Programs Could Reduce Gulf Oil Imports by Almost 75%
Telecommuting Trumps Four Day Workweek in Employee, Employer, and Community Benefits
We covered the pros and cons of telework in an earlier post, but we’ve developed a telecommuting model which shows that if the 40% of U.S. workers that studies show could work from home actually did, the U.S. could reduce Gulf Oil imports by 74%, and reduce gas consumption by 11.5 billion gallons a year. That would save consumers $52 billion and reduce greenhouse gases by 101 million tons. If those 40% worked from home half the time—roughly the national average for existing teleworkers—the savings would be $40 billion and 78 million tons of CO2.
Lots of companies and even a number of government agencies are moving to a 4-day workweek to reduce the pain at the pumps. If half of the U.S. working population worked a 4-day workweek, they’d save $20 billion at the pumps, 4.5 billion gallons of gas (57% of Persian Gulf imports), and 40 million tons of CO2 each year.
Our model is based on data from EPA, DOT, U.S. Census Bureau and other sources. The calculator below allows you to calculate how much money, oil and CO2 your city, county, or region’s existing telecommuters save, and how much more they could save with a universal telework program.
While the four-day workweek offers quick fix, work-at-home programs offer much more.
Imagine a presidential candidate pounding the podium with the promise that he’d freeze global warming. He’d tell the Middle East to pound sand because, under his leadership, we wouldn’t need their oil. He’d increase GNP, reduce the national debt, and bring the balance of trade back in our favor. He’d bring traffic jams to a halt and reduce the carnage on highways. He’d reduce the strain on our crumbling transportation infrastructure. He’d reclaim many of the jobs that have been lost to offshoring. He’d provide new employment opportunities for the un- and under-employed. He’d improve family life and emancipate latchkey kids. He’d revitalize our cites and reduce crime. And he’d bolster disaster preparedness.
Would he have your vote? Fact is, a strong national telework program could do that and more. It offers a pull, rather than a push solution and offers benefits to emplolyers, employees, and the community.
As part of our research, we’ve synthesized information from over 250 studies of telecommuting and related topics. We interviewed dozens of telework enthusiasts and challengers including researchers, venture capitalists who support the remote work model, Fortune 500 executives, virtual employers, freelance job boards execs and users (such as Guru and Elance) and those fromtraditional job boards (such as Career Builder and Monster), and dozens of home-based workers in wide variety of professions.
While we’re committed to bringing the work at home trend into the 21st century by dispelling the many myths and stigmas that have held it back, we’ve also analyzed the very real inhibitors such as management mistrust, worker isolation, data security, and career impact. From what we found we’ve developed an analysis of the pros and cons of telework for the worker, the employer, and the community, and backed it up with data.
If you’d like to find out how much fuel and greenhouse gases telecommuters in your community currently save, and how much employees in your area could save by teleworking, just submit your request on the form below and the results will pop up instantly. You do not need to enter your name and address just to do a search. (Six searches per day limit to avoid spammers, sorry.)
If you want the full assumptions behind the study, enter your contact information on the form below and we’ll immediately email you the details. If you’re a reporter or blogger working on a story and would us to customize the model for a particular population or based on a different set of criteria, just let us know (info AT undress4success DOT com).
To read more about how to go carbon neutral visit TreeHugger.com.
To purchase Carbon Offset Credits visit CarbonFund.org or TerraPass.com.