At Via Meadia, we’re increasingly convinced that the daily commuting ritual is one of the Great Banes of our lives. It’s bad for families, bad for the environment, bad for neighborhoods and volunteer organizations, bad for government budgets and between the pollution and stress it creates, it’s bad for public health. It’s a legacy institution from the 20th century that needs to be killed.

Some jobs need to be done face to face, and many jobs require at least some direct interaction among people who are physically together. But the average American commutes 25.4 minutes each way to work. The information revolution is reducing the need for commuting; fewer and fewer jobs now require that everyone drive to the same room, and as a society we are getting better at working cooperatively over distances. Whether you are a feminist, an environmentalist, an economist, a pro-family activist or just a person who wants to live a little better than you do, telework is a cause that you need to embrace.