Both of the major political parties have had their conventions at this point, and each has a plan for energy conservation. Sadly, neither party contacted me for my input.

My plan is one we can all live with: Let's each spend one day a week doing nothing. I personally wouldn't mind seeing everyone give up Monday.

That's right, nothing at all. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

I for one sure could use a day that doesn't involve commuting, answering the phone, grading quizzes, creating power points and getting the kids loaded onto the bus. That, my friends, is conserving energy.

The cost for me to "do nothing" one day per week is exactly zero dollars. Here's how my typical "energy free" day might go.

1. Unplug alarm clock the night before, as there would be no need for the alarm. Open all of the windows if it's summer, by the way, as air conditioning is a no-no.

2. Stay in pajamas after waking up. There is no sense wasting energy on silly things like getting dressed if I'm not going anywhere.

3. Feed the kids cold cereal, no milk. I wouldn't want to open the fridge door, thus causing excess light to enter my home and make the fridge work too hard.

4. Sit on porch and read newspaper (a luxury not enjoyed since before kids).

5. Force the kids to play on their swings instead of taking them to the park in my car, or drive them to a local drive-through for a prepackaged, Styrofoam meal.

6. Read some more and ignore the phone call coming in from my employer wondering where I am.

7. Badger wife a little bit just because I can. After all, she can't drive away on this "energy free" day either. We're in this together — it says so in our vows.

8. Make a peanut butter sandwich, as this doesn't involve opening the fridge either. Remember to use a plastic knife so I don't have to put anything in the dish washer.

9. Ignore calls from kids to push them in the swings, as that would involve utilizing my own energy, which is disappearing quicker than the hair on my head.

10. Plug the alarm clock back in, as the day is now over and I have to go back to the real world tomorrow morning.

Wow. That's a tough day, but I'm happy to say that by the end, my energy output was less than the amount of energy I put into my body from peanut butter sandwiches and water.

Now the real question is this: How much damage would be done if we all simply decided to take Monday off?

The answer is quite clear — none.

In fact, my blood pressure would be lower than it currently is and the balance in my savings account would be exactly the same as it was when the day started (that, too, is nothing).

Ah, if only the good senators would've called me, we'd all be enjoying a Monday off every week like we did this past week. Save energy. Take a day off!

Christian Ola, a community columnist for the Butler Eagle, resides in Mars with his wife, son and daughter and can be reached at christianolac@aol.com.