The home office has become incredibly popular in recent years as our ability to work from any location has grown. This means that going into an office space is becoming an antiquated concept, as even paying rent on such a space is no longer necessary to many businesses and jobs. However, with this has come a lot of eco or environmental issues in the home office. Correcting those is vital for the future of the planet, as this is the future of work. Here are five ways to make that home office of yours more eco-friendly.
Renovate and Redecorate Mindfully
People love to renovate and redecorate their homes. In fact, a 2020 study showed that kitchens and guest bathrooms are still the most popular rooms to renovate, but home offices are being upgraded by one in every ten homeowners as of 2019. This is largely due to that push to remote work, and it’s important that those renovations are done mindfully. This means finding the best way to use light in an office space, especially natural light. Also, consider what devices you do and don’t need, as things like printers aren’t necessary.
Create a Paper-Free Office
Paper, as it’s made from trees, is not sustainable. It leads to the destruction of forests and therefore limits oxygen production in nature. It’s also not necessary to include it in any modern office space. If you’re working remotely, you are going to be emailing and sending PDF files, along with other forms of digital work and communication to colleagues. You don’t need to waste the paper. Even if you’re someone who likes to take notes, there are plenty of ways to do this on a laptop or phone where you won’t need to waste the paper any longer.
Consider Solar Powered Accessories
One way to make your home office more eco-friendly is to consider using solar-powered accessories. This way, as you work all day long, the energy that you’ll be using will be coming from a renewable, sustainable energy source. In turn, this will lessen the environmental impact and lower your energy bills. Even going larger scale and installing rooftop solar panels is a great idea to lower your footprint, as in 30 years a rooftop solar panel system can reduce pollution by 100 tons of carbon dioxide.
Choose Environmentally Friendly Products
By choosing environmentally friendly products for your home office, the things that you are reliant on and can’t avoid using won’t become a major issue in any way as you work towards an eco-office space. This can mean materials made sustainably or designed to be recycled and composted. It means choosing products that aren’t made in factories without environmental laws or regulations, and materials that don’t require chemicals to produce. It may seem small, but it makes a difference in the long haul.
Consider Energy Efficiency
By taking the time to consider your energy efficiency in the home office, you can significantly lower your environmental impact in a home office space. That’s incredibly important, especially considering that energy use in the United States is doubling every 20 years. There are a few things to consider here. For one, using energy-efficient lightbulbs, and only using the lightbulbs necessary, is one great way to be efficient. Furthermore, if the air temperature is comfortable with the windows open, instead of a heating or cooling system, then you should do that for a better temperature.
If you can make your home office more eco-friendly, then you will find that you get to enjoy the long list of benefits that come with working from home, without the issues that come from an energy inefficient office space.
