Government Support for Coworking

It's not a Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae bailout or anything, but in England, at least one local government body is getting on the coworking train. Why is the Advantage West Midlands regional development agency trying to convince employers in the city of Birmingham to set up "tele-hubs" in the suburbs? They're trying to cut down on commuting trips as a way of lowering carbon emissions.Sound familiar? It should, Susan posted recently about the idea of neighborhood coworking centers as a trip-reduction strategy. We're such leaders here at Office Nomads. Well, according to the blog that brought the Birmingham effort to our attention, Office Nomads is a "good example" of a coworking office!Anyway, more on the Birmingham idea:

Birmingham commuters will work from shared offices located in the city’s suburbs in the future under plans being drawn up to tackle climate change.The radical measure will see employers working side by side with staff from other firms at specially equipped out-of-city centre work hubs in a bid to cut down on carbon emissions caused by travel.

Cool huh? Too bad our government has so much to worry about right now, it could be a better way to reduce the price of oil than increasing drilling off our coasts. But then, that's just me.