Sure, gasoline costs too much (latest price check: up to $4.29 at one local Sunoco). So, let's quit whining and do something about it. That sums up the attitude behind some efforts to fight back, save some money, and in the process, make the world a little greener.
At Toyota Boshoku America, for example, employees are sharing rides with each other and with people who work at a division of The Gap in the same building in Northern Kentucky. They're using carpoolworld.com, a site that matches up those interested in sharing the cost of a commute to work, a growing number now that gas is so expensive. The effort was the brainchild of Maria Cook, who works in accounting at TBA. About 20 are signed up for it there so far, and she's sharing a ride with someone from The Gap. "It's saved an entire tank of gas a month," she says. That's about 85 bucks for Maria.
The University of Cincinnati is experimenting with flexible work hours this summer, allowing some employees to work four ten-hour days. "Our employees can reduce their weekly commuting by 20 percent," says Gary Dent, UC's top human resources official. UC also offers employees public transportation discounts with Metro and and will start a discount program with Kentucky's Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky later this year. Citing a new survey, Dent says more than a quarter of all public and private sector organizations are using flexible work schedules to deal with high fuel costs. All these efforts are not only conserving fuel and saving money, but keeping a lot of auto exhaust out of the air.
Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Warner Allen, TBA; Greg Hand, UC
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.