I am very excited about President-Elect Obama’s transition to the Presidency of the U.S. Part of the thrill is that they ask us what our thoughts are on issues such as environment, energy policy, and other initiatives. That is cool! I mean, seriously, how many Presidents give a damn about what you think much less ask you to submit your thoughts on-line. I am not sure who will read my suggestions but today is a perfect example of why I shared my the thoughts I did for making the Federal Government more energy efficient. After all, if the Federal Government is going to try to save energy, find alternatives to fuel and gas, and promote policies on a cleaner environment, the Federal Government through its agencies and bureaus need to talk the talk and walk the walk.
So, today is the day after Thanksgiving and for some reason, I am at the office- a federal government bureaucratic office. All the lights are on but only six employees out of 23 are here. But, yes, all the lights are on. Some people may be truly busy and catching up but for others like me, I have one project to work on which I could do from home, or anywhere really – the nearest Starbucks perhaps? So, today is an example of a wasteful federal energy day and backs up my suggestion to cut the fat in government. More workers should be encouraged to work from home when possible, saving the Government thousands in energy costs by the end of the year. And, not to mention, if you cut out my office space and I share office space instead, think of the money we would save on leasing buildings and operating those buildings- electric, water, and our natural resources. The Friday after Thanksgiving should be a Federal holiday or in the least, should be a work at home day for those who need to accomplish the mission without coming into the office. Here is another effect of this cost saving: I am an employee who commutes about 14 miles to work in one direction. If I do my work from home and save the government cost of electricity and water, I also save myself a gas bill and thereby contribute to the notion of not being dependent on fuel. What a concept! There is a chain reaction and I think where possible, we, the Federal Executive Branch needs to champion work from home, telework or alternate work schedules so that in a given week, an employee is not commuting more than they need to in order to accomplish the mission.
After all, what is the point of coming in the day after Thanksgiving? To my boss, we needed coverage. It was essential. However, none of our clients are in and the phone has not rang once. I kid you not. Can’t we pick up the business we left off on Monday? Shouldn’t I be contributing to the Black Friday crowds so our economy is strengthened instead of sitting here, using Government-funded electricity and energy to write this Blog?
I hope this example supports why I left comments on change.gov for President-Elect Obama to change the Federal Government’s work at home policy to make it more mandatory. I hope this example supports mandatory Government shut-downs on days after holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s because for one, people are not productive, and the work can be done from elsewhere or just wait. If we want to cut wasteful spending and contribute to a cleaner environment and explore ways to cut energy costs, it has to start with the Federal Executive Branch – the agencies, the bureaucracies, and then trickle down. That is Responsible Governance and it is time for those changes to come sooner than later. I look forward to the changes that come from the Obama administration. He seems to be a practical, family-oriented man, and his goals include saving energy while promoting ethics in Government. I think we can do all of the above by starting with the Federal Executive Branch - change starts with us!
