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FWD: Fight Global Warming with the Barefoot Office
14 years ago
Something I saw on Muchapedia.com. Check it out!
Fight Global Warming: Take Away an Executive's Shoes and Socks and Introduce Him to the Barefoot Office!
by Jim
(Chicago)
Take One Well Dressed Corporate Executive (left, with shoes and socks still intact), and Create Instant Energy Savings by Stripping Him of Those Shoes and Socks
This is for the corporate business office and can save a great deal of energy during the summer if it is implemented.
It is well known that allowing feet to breathe in warm weather cools the body and that cooling the soles can cool the entire body quickly.
Introducing a barefoot office would make excellent use of this basic fact. Although social and cultural traditions will make it difficult to introduce, it can be done gradually. And light bamboo sandals can be used.
Separating a powerful executive from his well-polished shoes and his dress socks will not be easy but the savings will make it all worthwhile.
Getting the Suits to walk around in their bare feet will be a challenge; it will feel awkward at first as expensive shoes are symbols of power and dignity.
Some gentle coercion might be used at first - such as a small fine for an executive who insist on keeping his shoes on.
Eventually neckties, cufflinks, suit jackets and even white shirts will follow, giving way to cooler tee shirts and short-sleeved shirts. The savings on AC will be enormous and the hierarchy of the traditional work office will be transformed as well.
Fight Global Warming: Take Away an Executive's Shoes and Socks and Introduce Him to the Barefoot Office!
by Jim
(Chicago)
Take One Well Dressed Corporate Executive (left, with shoes and socks still intact), and Create Instant Energy Savings by Stripping Him of Those Shoes and Socks
This is for the corporate business office and can save a great deal of energy during the summer if it is implemented.
It is well known that allowing feet to breathe in warm weather cools the body and that cooling the soles can cool the entire body quickly.
Introducing a barefoot office would make excellent use of this basic fact. Although social and cultural traditions will make it difficult to introduce, it can be done gradually. And light bamboo sandals can be used.
Separating a powerful executive from his well-polished shoes and his dress socks will not be easy but the savings will make it all worthwhile.
Getting the Suits to walk around in their bare feet will be a challenge; it will feel awkward at first as expensive shoes are symbols of power and dignity.
Some gentle coercion might be used at first - such as a small fine for an executive who insist on keeping his shoes on.
Eventually neckties, cufflinks, suit jackets and even white shirts will follow, giving way to cooler tee shirts and short-sleeved shirts. The savings on AC will be enormous and the hierarchy of the traditional work office will be transformed as well.
However, going completely barefoot is a problem no matter how clean you keep the office (just check the sole of your new clean shoes after a day's work), they get very dirty, not to mention that you might step on a tack or piece of glass or some other sharp or hurtful object that might've fallen. So I wouldn't mind bamboo sandals and other types of shoe that will let the feet breathe together with the use different fibres that are warmer/cooler depending on the time of year. I'm sure they do that at home where they don't need to keep up a certain appearance without even thinking about it: when it's cold they wear thick wool jumpers and when it's warm they use thin cotton t-shirts.
As the article mentioned, the greatest hurdle would be social because particularly in certain social groups people just take it for granted that a man in a suit means business and that this is the "correct" way to dress for certain occasions no matter what the weather is like.
On the other paw there are short-sleeved white shirts that could help people cool down but would look no different once they put the jacket on. I can't think of anything else that could be changed while maintaining their stereotype. I suppose ankle-length socks since they would again not be visible with long trousers.