[May 16, 2007] Work from home, save the planet Tweet (The Birmingham Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) The environmental cost of commuting could be cut by enabling call centre staff to work from home, experts said yesterday. Staff who work in customer contact centres are generating 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year through commuting, according to Exony, suppliers of interaction management software to the call centre industry. This combined contribution to global warming, which would require 902,000 acres (1,409 square miles) of forest to "offset" the carbon dioxide, could be drastically reduced if more call centre staff were allowed to work from home rather than commute. Around one million staff work in UK call centres and Exony calculates that some 460 million commuter journeys take place to contact centres each year. Many of these could be cut back by taking advantage of communications technologies that enable staff to work remotely. Working from home would also benefit new parents, the disabled and older workers. Globally, 6.5 million call centre workers generate 9.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 6.2 million acres of forest. Copyright 2007 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]