Jul 17 2009
Is Your Home-Office Green?
We’ve just returned from a vacation to California and while it’s great to be back home, there’s tons of work to catch up on. One of my primary goals this summer is to improve the ‘greenness’ in my office. As I work out of my home, it should not be a difficult challenge. However, as a writer and when I’m printing out reams of papers to edit, I begin to see when I need to start.
My paperwork : I belong to that genre of people who believe that everything needs to be printed in order for it to be real. It’s not an age issue, but a mindset. And overcoming this has been tough, but I’m getting there. I now save online- just about anything and everything, because you never know when you might need it. But over the last 5 years, I’ve reduced my paperwork considerably. What I do need to print out however is work that I must edit. And so I now print double-sided and on recycled paper.
Commuting: Since commuting involves getting up and waddling bleary eyed to my office desk at 5:15 each morning, I save considerably on carbon emissions (no jokes please). But to make up for it, I take the kids cycling or on their scooter at least thrice a week. Results? My 3.5 year old is off training wheels and my 5 year old is already asking for a BMX bike! And we all feel super healthy.
Lighting: My desk is placed near a window and so I get in ample amounts of fresh light and air; which for me, eliminates the need for daytime lighting and fans. I do have a desk light with three levels of luminosity available and this allows me to vary the amount of lighting I need at any given time.
Energy: I do have a desktop as opposed to a laptop (laptops can conserve up to 70% energy). However, I also have a netbook and if I’m using it, then I am sure to hibernate or even shut down my desktop. And I definitely remember to shut everything off before I go to bed. Doing a simple small act like this can have a great impact on the environment as well as your wallet.
