6/30/2008

How to live a $4 a gallon lifestyle in the coming $5 a gallon world

Interesting stuff on the No Impact Man Blog.

  1. Work four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days and commute 20% less. Plus, you get a three-day weekend. Read about the benefits on Oil Drum, how Kent University offered its custodial staff a four-day work week on Yahoo, or a round-up on USA Today.
  2. Work from home one day (or more). Read about how to convince your boss to let you telecommute at Productivity 501 or at CNN. According to the Telework Coalition companies benefit from telecommuting by increased productivity, reduced staff turnover, and the fact only salaries have a higher effect on attracting top talent.
  3. Try mass transit one day a week (or more, when you find you like it). In addition to the money and gas you'll save, you'll lose weight and become more fit, not to mention other personal benefits (you could meet the man/woman of your dreams!). Hopstop gives subway and bus directions for eight major American cities. Calculate what you'll save from using public transportation here.
  4. Give carpooling a chance. Look for rides at Ride Amigos. Calculate what you'll save by carpooling here. Read about the benefits here.
  5. Quit commuting and live near your work. Read about the suburban exodus at the Wall Street Journal. Search "live near your work" alongside the name of your state on Google to find grant programs that will help pay the costs of your relocating.
  6. Best of all, there's walking and biking, if your commute will allow it. Even if you can't get all the way to work, you can still bike or walk to your transit stop. There's great primer on bike commuting here.

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