Workers of the World Relax

by Conrad Schmidt

There are approximately seven billion people on the earth today. As population continues to grow it is becoming clear that the planet is not as big as we once thought it to be; it is also becoming obvious that humans are wreaking havoc upon the environment. The big question we have been trying to solve for the past 100 years is, how do we maximize production and produce more and more stuff? The big question we now face is, what do we do with all the junk and pollution we have created?. To make matters worse, we now seem more determined than ever to work harder and produce more stuff, which creates a bizarre paradox, we are proudly breaking our backs to decrease the carrying capacity of the planet. So what is the solution? A great beginning would be to reduce the industrial workweek. We would consume less, produce less, work less, pollute less and live more. Providing that the remaining work be distributed among more people, an industrial slow-down could have the additional benefit of reducing unemployment. This is a simple concept which has not garnered much attention. This book tackles the ideological constraints to environmental sustainability and proves how a reduced workweek can help solve many of our social and environmental problems.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2006

Reviews

[Ryan]

best book. ever.

[Bessie James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this strange little book up in a bike store in Seattle. The owner, a very cool green-type dude, told me I'd like it. I did. The theory that the author proposes is that the world would be far better off if the work week were reduced. Sounds too simple to believe? That's what I thought until I read this very digestible little book. Sometimes, simple theories are the most elegant.

Read it if you are concerned about our planet.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book. If you don't have time, then you should really read this book! The authors knows how you feel - he's a workaholic.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I wish the Work Less Party still existed.

[Miki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conrad Schmidt, the founder of Canada's Work Less Party writes a series of short essays about the psychological, social, and environmental benefits of doing less producing, consuming and working, and more living.


I am worried that one of the main reasons that I enjoyed this book is that it affirmed my desire to focus less on career and more on life.

[Jeff Downer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its what could happen if people weren't so money hungry. Its also very possible.