If Global Warming Matters... Why aren't more calling for work at home?

Damocles

Accedo!
Staff member
A simple question really...

To save on gas, pollution, etc. why isn't the left driving for incentives for companies to have people work from home whenever possible?

In this day and time, meetings can be held over the interwebs, training can be done with web meetings, you can watch whatever somebody does on your computer at their house, and what they run over your VPN network they use to log in, phone service can be delivered anywhere (also over the interwebs).

Why do we insist that people must work in some box in a city, and why wouldn't we want them to stay put so they don't pump CO2 into the air? Is it that cost incentives to push companies into making such a "responsible" choice would cost too much in revenue? Where is the drive by this President, and others who believe that their car causes cold weather in winter, to get companies to require people to drive less?
 
We could in turn take the then vacated office space and turn the buildings into shelters for the homeless/training centers for the unemployed etc...
 
I am! I am! There's nothing I do here in this cubicle farm that I couldn't do at home. All I need is a computer, a router, a phone, a printer and broad band access and I could do my job from home.

Having said that...I worked at home under a 1099 when I was in the Carolinas and my wife was a royal pain in the ass. She could not accept that during working hours she could not dominate my time and attention because I had work to do. Drove me up a wall.
 
This brings up a big issue we've been having in San Francisco. Major tech companies like Facebook and Google are headquartered in the Silicon Valley while many of their younger employees live in San Francisco. To deal with this these firms have private buses that transport workers to and from work each day (from SF to the Valley). Some people complained because these private buses were picking folks up at the (public) Muni stops and not paying anything for it. The retort was usually having a bus driving this may people to work is keeping cars off the road and much better for the environment.

Well now these tech workers have become a symbol of income inequality in SF. Several times now protestors have prevented the Google bus from moving for 30 minutes or more in the morning. These tech workers are (supposedly) causing rents to rise and forcing people out of SF.

This story is so great on many levels. We have these great high paying jobs in our area but it is essentially viewed as a bad thing. From a political perspective many of these tech workers vote Democratic so it's funny to see them blamed by the progressives. And the complaining about buses that actually do keep drivers off the road and helps the environment tops it all off. Such is life in the big city.
 
This brings up a big issue we've been having in San Francisco. Major tech companies like Facebook and Google are headquartered in the Silicon Valley while many of their younger employees live in San Francisco. To deal with this these firms have private buses that transport workers to and from work each day (from SF to the Valley). Some people complained because these private buses were picking folks up at the (public) Muni stops and not paying anything for it. The retort was usually having a bus driving this may people to work is keeping cars off the road and much better for the environment.

Well now these tech workers have become a symbol of income inequality in SF. Several times now protestors have prevented the Google bus from moving for 30 minutes or more in the morning. These tech workers are (supposedly) causing rents to rise and forcing people out of SF.

This story is so great on many levels. We have these great high paying jobs in our area but it is essentially viewed as a bad thing. From a political perspective many of these tech workers vote Democratic so it's funny to see them blamed by the progressives. And the complaining about buses that actually do keep drivers off the road and helps the environment tops it all off. Such is life in the big city.

It's different here in Dublin. They only want to be green because of the Irish.
 
I am! I am! There's nothing I do here in this cubicle farm that I couldn't do at home. All I need is a computer, a router, a phone, a printer and broad band access and I could do my job from home.

Having said that...I worked at home under a 1099 when I was in the Carolinas and my wife was a royal pain in the ass. She could not accept that during working hours she could not dominate my time and attention because I had work to do. Drove me up a wall.

Set aside a room for an office, have it lock and keep it closed during the day. You are "going to work"... Your wife will get it. My kids do when I'm on call.
 
They won't even drive volts!
Those metrosexuals aren't going to miss showing off the shoes and new upgraded phones at the cubicle farms!
 
A simple question really...

To save on gas, pollution, etc. why isn't the left driving for incentives for companies to have people work from home whenever possible?

In this day and time, meetings can be held over the interwebs, training can be done with web meetings, you can watch whatever somebody does on your computer at their house, and what they run over your VPN network they use to log in, phone service can be delivered anywhere (also over the interwebs).

Why do we insist that people must work in some box in a city, and why wouldn't we want them to stay put so they don't pump CO2 into the air? Is it that cost incentives to push companies into making such a "responsible" choice would cost too much in revenue? Where is the drive by this President, and others who believe that their car causes cold weather in winter, to get companies to require people to drive less?


Several companies here in the Houston area are doing just that...the company my sister works for already lets her stay home Fridays and work from home.
 
Several companies here in the Houston area are doing just that...the company my sister works for already lets her stay home Fridays and work from home.
Several companies is not the same thing as a drive towards this to save the universe from global warming. I'd totally support the effort... No reason to waste gas when I can simply walk down to the office in my basement.

My point was, if Global Warming is real, and if it really matters why are the people who supposedly care not working to actually resolve some of this by giving all companies incentive to keep workers at home rather than driving to the office, and not just Fridays... every day? Where is the urgency that put Al Gore out there telling us there'd be no Polar Ice Caps by the year 2005?

Get going GW advocates... Begin the drive to save the universe from oil sucking cars! Keep Damocles at home... (and save him literally hundreds of dollars per month effectively giving him a raise).
 
Several companies is not the same thing as a drive towards this to save the universe from global warming. I'd totally support the effort... No reason to waste gas when I can simply walk down to the office in my basement.

My point was, if Global Warming is real, and if it really matters why are the people who supposedly care not working to actually resolve some of this by giving all companies incentive to keep workers at home rather than driving to the office, and not just Fridays... every day? Where is the urgency that put Al Gore out there telling us there'd be no Polar Ice Caps by the year 2005?

Get going GW advocates... Begin the drive to save the universe from oil sucking cars! Keep Damocles at home... (and save him literally hundreds of dollars per month effectively giving him a raise).


But "several companies" IS the BEGINNING of a movement toward universal telecommuting.

Your "point" was just another petty attempt at deriding anyone who disagrees with you regarding AGW...I merely stole your thunder by pointing out companies all across this nation are doing just what you suggested.
 
Several companies is not the same thing as a drive towards this to save the universe from global warming. I'd totally support the effort... No reason to waste gas when I can simply walk down to the office in my basement.

My point was, if Global Warming is real, and if it really matters why are the people who supposedly care not working to actually resolve some of this by giving all companies incentive to keep workers at home rather than driving to the office, and not just Fridays... every day? Where is the urgency that put Al Gore out there telling us there'd be no Polar Ice Caps by the year 2005?

Get going GW advocates... Begin the drive to save the universe from oil sucking cars! Keep Damocles at home... (and save him literally hundreds of dollars per month effectively giving him a raise).
The thing is, we could live so much better if fewer of us drove. Think of what you could buy with what you spend in automotive expenses!
 
But "several companies" IS the BEGINNING of a movement toward universal telecommuting.

Your "point" was just another petty attempt at deriding anyone who disagrees with you regarding AGW...I merely stole your thunder by pointing out companies all across this nation are doing just what you suggested.
The sad thing is...so many things that we could do to cut down on global warming are things that would just plain make our life better. I mean, look at wind power. Pay Off the windmill, and the electricity is almost free. Who looses with that? Other than coal companies, that is...
 
The sad thing is...so many things that we could do to cut down on global warming are things that would just plain make our life better. I mean, look at wind power. Pay Off the windmill, and the electricity is almost free. Who looses with that? Other than coal companies, that is...

The windmills are killing birds, many of the them bald eagles and other protected birds.
 
I am! I am! There's nothing I do here in this cubicle farm that I couldn't do at home. All I need is a computer, a router, a phone, a printer and broad band access and I could do my job from home.

Having said that...I worked at home under a 1099 when I was in the Carolinas and my wife was a royal pain in the ass. She could not accept that during working hours she could not dominate my time and attention because I had work to do. Drove me up a wall.

Do they allow you to take the toxic waste home?
 
The sad thing is...so many things that we could do to cut down on global warming are things that would just plain make our life better. I mean, look at wind power. Pay Off the windmill, and the electricity is almost free. Who looses with that? Other than coal companies, that is...

My God, you are just not very bright are you? Oh and by the way learn the difference between loose and lose!!

http://www.spiegel.de/international...ainst-subsidies-for-solar-power-a-866996.html
 
The sad thing is...so many things that we could do to cut down on global warming are things that would just plain make our life better. I mean, look at wind power. Pay Off the windmill, and the electricity is almost free. Who looses with that? Other than coal companies, that is...

So how is your windmill working?
 
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