Environment

Telecommuting takes cars off the road and could deliver $3.9 billion in time and fuel cost savings annually, while drastically reducing traffic, greenhouse gas emissions and America’s dependence of foreign oil.

Celebrating Earth Day

• 10 Ways Broadband Can Help Change the World 

Environmental Statistics

• Increased deployment of high-speed broadband is likely to increase telecommuting by workers.  Increased telecommuting reduces travel which in turn benefits society through reductions in congestion, pollution, and oil consumption.
  Robert D. Atkinson, “The Case for a National Broadband Policy”, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, 6/2007
• Current carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. hover around 7.9 billion tons and are growing.  Use of broadband applications can achieve a net reduction of 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas over 10 years, which, if converted into energy saved, would constitute 11% of annual U.S. oil imports.
  Joseph P. Fuhr Jr. & Stephen B. Pociask, “Broadband Services: Economic and Environmental Benefits”, American Consumer Institute, 10/31/07
• Using electronics to telecommute saves the equivalent of 9 to 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year – the same amount of energy used by roughly 1 million US households every year.
  “Yes, the Internet Saves Energy” Green Energy News, 9/21/07
• Telecommuting will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 247.7 million tons due to less driving, 28.1 million tons due to reduced office construction, and 312.4 million tons because of energy saved by businesses.
  Joseph P. Fuhr Jr. & Stephen B. Pociask, “Broadband Services: Economic and Environmental Benefits”, American Consumer Institute, 10/31/07
• Nearly 1/2 of all power consumed in developed countries goes to office buildings. More surprising, even in the most efficient buildings, about 60 per cent of space largely goes unused during a typical work day.
  Michael Hammond, “Internet Credited for a Cleaner Environment”, The Record, 10/26/2007.
• In one case study 54,000 American employees who work from home part of the time allow the company to reduce its carbon emissions by 68,000 tons per year. It also helps save more than 30 million litres of fuel.
  Michael Hammond, “Internet Credited for a Cleaner Environment”, The Record, 10/26/2007.
• An Estimated 3.9 million telecommuters in the United States have reduced gasoline consumption by about 840 million gallons while curbing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 14 million tons, that’s equal to removing 2 million vehicles from the road every year.
  “The Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impact of Telecommuting and e-Commerce,” The Consumer Electronics Association, 07/2007.
• Telecommuting saves 1.4 gallons of gasoline and reduces CO2 emissions by 17 to 23 kilograms per day. In energy consumption terms that’s up to 12 hours of an average US household’s electricity use.
  “The Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impact of Telecommuting and e-Commerce,” The Consumer Electronics Association 07/2207.
• A worker with a one-way commute of 22 miles telecommuting five days a week would save about 320 gallons of gasoline each year while reducing global warming carbon dioxide emissions by 4.5 - 6.0 tons per year. The equivalent electricity savings would be about 4000 - 6000 kilowatt hours per year or the electricity consumed by an average household in 4 - 6 months.
  “The Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impact of Telecommuting and e-Commerce,” The Consumer Electronics Association, 07/2207.