Photo by Yandle. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Some jobs easily lend themselves to telecommuting. Office work, for one, is easily done from home, as is any job that requires nothing but a phone. Oh, and that bizarre blogging thing. But custodial work? You might not be able to mop the gym floor from your bedroom, but that doesn't mean you can't figure out a way to stay home one day a week.

Reuters has a story about a shift in the U.S. to a four-day work week, just one more response to the recent jump in gas prices. The first group of people mentioned in the story is custodial workers at Kent State University. The idea isn't new, and some employers have long offered employees the chance to work four longer days of 10 hours each instead of five "normal" days of eight hours. Nowadays, though, workers are migrating toward the shorter work week, especially in rural areas where public transportation isn't an option and commutes can be long. One new idea that could also someday become a trend: the four-day school week.

[Source: Reuters]

Pennsylvanians who want to take one of the easiest possible steps to reduce vehicle emissions, congestion and fuel use (I'm talking about carpooling here) are getting a push from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The PA DEP's is promoting a summer-long "Share the Ride Challenge" that targets Susquehanna Valley commuters. The Challenge starts tomorrow and officially continues through September 30 and asks people to carpool or use public transportation at least ten times in those 22 weeks. Is that even a challenge? Ten times? Baby steps, I guess. Ambitious commuters could knock ten rides down in two weeks. If you'd like to participate, visit the Challenge website and register an account. Prizes include restaurant gift cards, free gas (oh, the irony) and more. Even though the prizes end in September, there's really no limit as to when carpooling makes sense.

[Source: PA DEP / Yahoo]

There were many reader responses on our editorial regarding the ever-expanding volume of the automobile in America, so why not extend the same questions to motorcycles? Way back in March we featured an article which highlighted the fact that technology is trickling down to motorcycles from cars. There has been a great deal of debate going on as to whether or not motorcycles are really a green form of transportation. This post will not hit each and every facet of either side of the argument, but it is interesting to note that it is possible for manufacturers of motorcycles to hit extremely high horsepower figures while still allowing for reasonable fuel economy.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), delivering on the promise of that fuel economy is in the hands of the rider, and when big power is available, riders are likely to twist that wrist ever tighter! So, it came as little surprise that Cycle World was able to wring 45 miles per gallon out of one tank with their Kawasaki Concours 14 testbike, while lowering that number all the way down to 24 miles per gallon from another tank-full. That is a huge disparity, and shows that high power and high fuel economy are possible from the same engine, but not at the same time. The engine in this particular bike happens to be one of the most powerful available in any production bike, maxing out at almost 140 horsepower at the rear wheel with 92 lb. ft. of torque. From a 1.4 liter engine, this is excellent! To make that kind of power, the engine has variable valve timing and electronic fuel injection. The engine also makes full use of its 10.7:1 compression ratio, which is quite high, and 4 valves per cylinder arrangement. This is an excellent engine, and would make an awesome starting point for a hybrid vehicle. But, there it sits installed in a motorcycle!

Continue reading after the jump.

The US Census issued a report about our real American commuting behavior in recent times. Gasoline prices may be high and concern about global warming may be growing, but on the whole, "Green Thinking" is just that, thinking. Eighty-eight percent of people who go to work still drive to work. That includes carpoolers. Of that 88 percent, 77 percent go by themselves. And many are probably going by SUV because they bought them back in the days before 9/11/01 or soon after.

Perhaps it is today's concerns about personal safety that has caused the percent of carpoolers to drop. But there could be uni-gender car pools to offset that. Guy car pools can talk sports and tell bawdy jokes. Women car pools can talk fashion (and sports). Or perhaps it is because jobs are no longer concentrated in a central business district that makes it harder to find common work destinations at common times. Still, many states have programs that will help workers find matches. I have carpooled and used mass transit and both beat lone car use. There is a chance for real human contact, discussions, sharing of life's events. Even on mass transit, where talk is not so common, you get to see a snapshot of people up close and personal, yet safely.

There are cities that have a large dependence on mass transit. New York is far ahead with 55 percent using mass transit. Washington, DC follows with 38 percent. The US has got to turn the corner on petroleum energy use. Total, as well as personal use, of petroleum has to go down and it will. It has in the past – the early 1980s. When we do it again, we will reap the benefits of less traffic congestion, cleaner air, perhaps even a better trade balance, and a little more respect for the average American in the rest of the world.

[Source: U.S. Census]