F4F #2: Carpool

If you can't work from home once a month, the second "Five for Footprint" idea is carpooling with someone you work with, or someone who works close by. I put this ahead of mass transit in that part of the reason for pursuing a smaller footprint is understanding that the world is interconnected and understanding those connections.

By carpooling with someone you work with you foster connections within your work community, hopefully giving you a greater understanding of your workplace. Another reason that there is a benefit is that it creates a sense of "critical mass" one person sharing a ride with someone outside of the company is, well one person. Two people in a company creates a constituency, hopefully driving (no pun intended) some change. The more pairs of people, the more it seems like an expectation of those in the company.

So now the trick is to find people you can carpool with. If you have an internal email list, send a message saying that you live in this neighborhood or city and want to carpool. Put a few flyers in cubes or in your breakroom, or just ask around. You'd be surprised how many people live close by.

Another benefit of people carpooling from the same company is that it reinforces on time behavior. The same thing you desire in an airline, is appreciated by your carpool buddies. It's a great way to make sure you don't let those meetings run long.