A government-supported pilot project in Alberta, Canada, is offering companies greenhouse-gas credits for every employee who works from home, in order to reduce emissions associated with commuting. The plan is the first step in an effort to produce a Canadian carbon-credits market, whereby firms that cut greenhouse-gas emissions will be able to sell credits to others that are unable to meet reductions targets. The project is being organized by Teletrips, a firm that has already launched similar pilot projects in five U.S. cities. Teletrips has developed software that tracks the number of trips employees save by working at home and calculates their carbon savings based on detailed information about their vehicles. The provincial government, which has been an outspoken opponent of Canadian participation in the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, hopes telecommuting — even if just for one or two days a week — could be both an environmental and economic boon.
