Sustainable Work Practices | ProductiveandFree

There are many perks to working from home. A lack of a commute means you get to wake up later, you get to spend more time with your family, and you can often work on your terms. As an added benefit, working remotely can also help the planet if you do it right. It all depends on how you set up your office and what you do to eliminate waste and your carbon footprint. Even if you work from a real office a couple of days a week, you can still help the planet by carpooling.

This guide will provide tips for setting up an eco-friendly office that will help the Earth while making you more productive.

Creating An Eco-Friendly Office

The first step to creating your home office is finding a space to set up shop. Doing so can sometimes be easier said than done if you have a smaller home or an apartment. If you have your pick of the rooms, opt for one with windows. By allowing natural light into the space, you can see what you’re doing while you work. If you work only during the day, you can eliminate the need to turn on the lights and waste electricity.

Eco-Friendly Office | ProductiveandFree — Unsplash

You can also perfect the room by applying eco-friendly paint to the walls, which are products that don’t contain harmful chemicals or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). While it may not happen in your office, those VOCs can leak into the soil and the water tables during production. Complete your office by purchasing your chair and desk from a second-hand store so you don’t require factories to waste resources while making new products.

Sometimes, home office space can be hard to find, and you may need to look in often-forgotten spaces like the area under the stairs or out on the patio. If you own a house, building your office in the garage is another option. Doing so will require you to remove the clutter to have a nice, clean space. Throw out the garbage and donate usable items. You’ll also need to ensure that you have the power to turn on your computer, phone, and other devices. If you don’t have power, contact an electrician to set it up.

You'll also want heat and air conditioning if you plan to work there all year. However, you also need to have the garage adequately insulated so that heat and cool air don’t escape. If that happens, you’ll spend money on your monthly utilities. Plus, when those systems work harder than necessary, they also waste electricity, which burns more fossil fuels that release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

Carpooling Is A Great Option If You Go To The Office

While many people work remotely from home full-time, others have a hybrid arrangement where they must go into the office at least once weekly. If so, you can still help the planet while driving. One way to do that is to invest in an electric car that does not burn fossil fuels. Another way is to carpool with your coworkers.

There are various benefits of carpooling, including many that help the environment. The biggest perk is that, by going together, fewer cars are on the road, wasting resources and burning fuel. If more people joined a carpool, there would also be less traffic, which is vital because slower-moving traffic emits more pollution than cars driving freely on the highway.

Carpooling is also a more affordable option because you can pool your money with other participants and spend less on gas per person. Also, using your car less often will typically result in lower maintenance costs since you won’t need to change the tires or the oil as often. If you are interested in carpooling and you really want to do what’s best for the environment, look for a car with great gas mileage so you can go further with fewer resources.

Helping the Planet | ProductiveandFree — Unsplash

Boosting Productivity While Helping The Planet

One of the forgotten bonuses of working and living an eco-friendly life is that you can be more productive at your job. A great example is carpooling. While you’re reducing carbon emissions, you’re also driving with your co-workers, which provides the opportunity to bond on a deeper level that can enhance your relationship on the road. Also, you can go over meeting notes and project plans during the drive so you can arrive at work ready to go.

If you set your office up right, working from home can also improve productivity, especially when it comes to the windows. Natural light provides incredible benefits, including helping you stay productive by improving your mood. Exposure to light during the day also helps to keep your circadian rhythm in check so you can get better sleep at night and not feel exhausted during the day. If you only have one or two windows, you can help the light bounce around by placing mirrors on the wall and using brightly-colored wall paint.

When you’re dedicated to saving energy by avoiding artificial light during the workday, you can also stick to a schedule, which is the key to productivity when working from home. It’s easy to overwork and stay behind the desk when you’re already home, and you could eventually burn out. Setting and observing work hours is essential, and if you only dedicate yourself to working when the sun is out, you can keep that schedule.

Conclusion

It pays to implement sustainable work practices at work and on the road. Think about the changes you can make in your life and be more productive while making the world a better place.

Katie Brenneman

Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in time management, marketing, and education-related content. When she isn't writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.