Well, the NY Times is finally catching up to what we’ve been saying for months! It’s no secret that online degrees are better for the environment–but it’s now abundantly clear that they’re better for your wallet too.

The Times article offers an interesting perspective from the students it interviews–primarily those who prefer a traditional on-campus experience, and are only going online to save money. These students are taking some time to get comfortable with the format, but once they get the hang of it, they may notice other benefits of online study, in addition to the gas savings.

Beware! Environmental Rant
It’s funny, but not surprising, that the idea of green online degrees (or green anything) might be interesting and gain traction in a small percentage of the population–but it takes an economic hit to prompt mass behavioral changes. As a society, we’ve known about the dangers of pollution and climate change for years. But it takes $4-a-gallon gas to get Detroit to start shutting down its truck plants and build the small cars that are finally zipping off the lot.

Of course, it’s no use for anyone to get holier-than-thou about not being green enough, when there’s always something we can do better. I know I have some shaping up to do, for sure. But I have to say that, despite the hit my own wallet is taking, I’m so glad to see $4.50 a gallon in my ‘hood.

Since we can’t get government regulation to save our lives (literally), the market will do the job for us. Big-government liberal that I am, I would have been overjoyed to see the gov’t ban SUVs and mandate better emissions standards a lot sooner. (Your right to drive an SUV doesn’t supersede my right not to die of asthma.)

But as much as I hate to see my money go into the pockets of Arab dictators, many of whom fund Islamic extremists so their own people won’t notice that they’re living in a dictatorship, I’d rather pay $4, $5, or $6 a gallon and watch Americans’ consumption drop than go back to the bad old days when gas-guzzlers ruled the road.

And someday when I’m rich and/or famous, I’m buying this.