Telecommuting as energy saver

Of all the changes wrought by digital technology, the most dramatic is a new idea of workplace. Thanks to such devices as wireless laptops, many nonmanual jobs can now be done almost anywhere – at home, in a car, or even on a park bench.

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, although an exact count is difficult. Whatever their numbers, they thrive professionally on text-messaging, videoconferencing, or any of the latest advances in electronic communications.

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.

It’s one small step each person can make toward reducing what
President Bush calls “America’s addiction to oil.”

Christian Science Monitor