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Having three-day weekends can help save the planet, says scientist

Reducing the number of working hours has a general correlation with marked reductions in energy consumption.

Nobody in their right mind would reject the idea of having a three-day weekend except perhaps a die-hard workaholic with no life outside their work. But a long weekend has way more benefits apart from offering you more time to spend with loved ones, exploring new places and simply relaxing. Alex Williams, a lecturer in Sociology at City University London, claims that it can also help improve the state of our environment.

Reducing the number of working hours has a general correlation with marked reductions in energy consumption as economists David Rosnick and Mark Weisbrot have argued, reports The Conversation. Interestingly, even if Americans simply followed European levels of working hours, they would observe an estimated 20 per cent reduction in energy use and consequently low carbon emissions. Such a scenario could help in avoiding spending money and time on commuting to and fro as well as the energy consumption at workplaces. This would prove to be helpful in making our economy more environment-friendly.

For instance, in 2007 the US state of Utah had come up with a new concept of the working week for state employees by extending hours on Monday through Thursday and keeping Fridays free. That resulted in the state estimating more than 12,000 tons of CO2 saved every year. In fact in the first ten months, the state was able to save around $1.8 million in energy costs. However, Utah discontinued the experiment in 2011 after residents complained of lack of access to services on Fridays.

( Source : deccan chronicle )
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