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52 results found
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| 4-Day Work Week 
Virtually all of the discussions on how to reduce gas consumption and traffic congestion involves increasing the supply: Pump more oil, refine more gasoline, build more roads, more busses, new transit systems.Yes, we need to do those things and more; but, we can make faster, highly effective gains with very little cost through a relatively painless adjustment in our livestyles. Let's institutionalize the 4-day work week.Here's what it can do:*Reduce commuting traffic by as much as 20%
*Reduce gasoline consumption and smog from automobiles by a similar amount.
*Give many families the opportunity to spend more time together, including many 3-day weekends.
*Car engines and tires will last much longer.Here's what it cost:*Local, regional, state, and federal bureaucracies will have to spend time and energy devising schedules.
*Some agencies and businesses will probably have to remain on the 5-day work week. Schools are one example.
*Longer work days might pose too much difficulty for some families.Several states are already devising plans for the 4-day work week. Looking at the concept on a national scale might be very beneficial for our country.
There are 6 replies to this idea
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| Group Kitchens for the Homeless
There is not enough housing available in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. In my small town of 1800, there are thirty people who live in their cars because their rental was sold. In hi-demand areas, people who work the low-paying service jobs cannot even find a room to rent at double their former rent. Rather than leave their jobs and friends by moving away completely, they move into in their cars to save money. If something else goes wrong, often these "homeless by choice" people can lose everything.To avoid this from happening, I have "adopted" a number of car-dwellers, giving them limited access to my tiny home (showers, taking messages for job-seeking) in exchange for various chores. With this help, most of them eventually found housing. Some of these "recovered homeless" got together and rented a shared place. They decided to start a "pot-luck" evening twice a week for their other friends who were still living in cars: The car-dwellers agree to bring extra food. They prepare the food that's there and clean up the kitchen. The renters get food prepared for them and their dinner dishes get washed. Perhaps a car-dweller who has a job becomes a part of the house when a room becomes available.Reward: The idea already works for me! 
There are 2 replies to this idea
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| Roof Over A Homeless Head
Add on an optional very small amount of money to Hotel bills. Money would accrue and then be donated to homeless charities to help the homeless in a town/city. Temporary homeless people (hotel customers) would thus help permanently homeless people.Placecards would be placed on hotel beds explaining that a voluntary contribution of 50p or smaller would be added to their billl at the end of their stay. A similar notice would be placed at Reception. Each notice would have to be in several languages to cater to the international market that visits the UK. The voluntary contribution would go to local or national homeless charities. The amount of voluntary contribution needs to be small because non-local people would be contributing to the scheme. The smaller the amount, the less ther're going to mind having it tacked onto the bill. The placecards would be sponsored by local firms, who would be allowed to have their adverts on these cards. Taxi companies and restaurants would certainly be a prime source of sponsorship.Monies raised by this scheme would be collected by a local organiser who would also recruit hotels into the scheme. The organiser would also contact the local media with a view to getting an article written up about the hotel and what part it is playing in helping the homeless issue within the town. I see this scheme being run throughout the whole year.For me, everybody wins. Hotels get a good 'social responsibilty' rating and free advertising through the newspaper article. Hotel customers feel they are contributing to society. Sponsors get their brand name across on the placecards and a good 'social responsibilty' rating. But most importantly of all, the homeless get help to build a better life. I see it as a scheme where those people who are without a home or shelter in a city are helped by those who are similarly without a home in a city, but who nevertheless can afford a temporary shelter ie. a hotel bed.
There are 2 replies to this idea
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