Is It Time to Transition To 21 Hour Work Weeks?

Less paid work means more civic involvement, satisfied lives & ecological sustainability

By Matt McDermott

I've been sitting with the New Economic Foundation's 21 hours report for a week now. Sometimes these things just have to percolate for a while before commenting on them. The basic idea of the report is that not only is a shorter working week inevitable, but that it's a good thing. And the more I think about it, I tend to agree.

Get ready for this one – the latest "green" training is happening in prison. Instead of simply containing inmates for their wrongdoings, the Stafford Creek facility in Aberdeen, Washington is teaching individuals how to become contributing members of society.

The Sustainable Prisons Project – a collaboration between the Washington Department of Corrections and The Evergreen State College in Olympia – aims to help prisoners understand their impact on the environment, and find ways to reduce it. By growing native plant species in a greenhouse behind the prison, inmates are acquiring skills that can aid them in assimilating back into society through environmentalism.

When it comes to saving our environment, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror. There are simple solutions, like bicycling to work, that could save money and lives.

You’ve heard the arguments over and over.