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Working from home environmental benefits

Why Working from Home Makes the Earth Happy

Happy Earth Day! Are you doing anything to celebrate?

 

I’m keeping it low-key here, but spending the day outside in the yard and garden.

One thing I don’t think I talk much about on the blog is my passion for sustainability and reducing our environmental impact. I studied sustainability (in design and agriculture) quite a bit in school.

Working from home environmental benefits:

Reducing our impact is one of the biggest challenges of our times, which is another reason I LOVE being a VA. Yep! I know it might seem like a weird connection at first, but if you work from home, you’ve got a green job.

According to a this FlexJobs article, here are a few of the green benefits of telecommuting:

  • A decrease in greenhouse gas emissions of 54 million tons annually!
  • Savings of 640 million barrels of oil per year.
  • $20 million in gas savings per year.

Working from home also helps improve air quality (generally and in their personal environment), traffic congestion, and results in less paper use than an office. Yay!

If you’re not working from home yet, but are considering it, here’s just another wonderful reason to start planning your escape. Have you considered exploring freelance writing, affiliate marketing, or starting your own VA biz? Here are some resources I used to get started.

If, like me, you’re already working from home, let’s take a sec to be grateful to the clients and customers who make this possible for us! Seriously: Thankyouthankyouthankyou.

Here’s how we can make a bigger impact:

  • Add more plants to your workspace.
  • Use natural lighting and LED lights when you can.
  • Use recycled paper for printed materials.
  • Libraries are your friend!
  • Dress in layers in the winter and lightly in the summer and keep the thermostat slightly cooler (or warmer in the summer) than you might be used to.
  • Take a walk or a bike ride for a mid-day break rather than a drive.
RELATED POST  Business Mistakes I Made So You Don't Have To

Just a few ideas to get you going with a more environmentally-friendly life. Hope it gets you motivated!

How else can we go green when we work from home? I’d love to know in the comments.

 

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Comments

  1. Meg Smidt says

    April 24, 2017 at 9:15 am

    I love this so much!!! I hope that more companies start allowing employees to work from home as there are so many wonderful benefits like the ones you mentioned!

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 24, 2017 at 10:25 am

      Yay! Thank you, Meg. I agree, what a difference it would make with more companies moving towards telecommuting!

      Reply
  2. Sandi Schwartz says

    April 24, 2017 at 9:37 am

    What a unique topic. I really love how you tied in the benefits of working from home with sustainability. I have never seen this done and I love it! I also address environmental issues on my blog and love to find like-minded writers spreading this critical message. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 24, 2017 at 10:24 am

      Thank you, Sandi! So happy to connect with you too. I will definitely check out your blog. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Annie says

    April 24, 2017 at 1:21 pm

    I wish I could work remotely but as a dental hygienist I don’t think many people want to come to my house!

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 24, 2017 at 1:29 pm

      Ha! I don’t know, it might be more fun than going to the dentist’s office. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Leah says

    April 24, 2017 at 2:09 pm

    I love these ideas! Plants really do make my workspace feel so much better, and make me happier! I work from home, as you probably guessed, and think more people should too! Happy Earth Day from one remote worker to another!

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 24, 2017 at 2:21 pm

      Yay! Happy Earth Day and thanks for saying hi!

      Reply
  5. Steph | zero to biz says

    April 24, 2017 at 4:44 pm

    Great topic for Earth Day! Also could add, less energy/laundry detergent since I often wear my same “uniform” of stretchy pants and a tee, hah! 😉

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 24, 2017 at 4:58 pm

      Haha, totally for me too, Steph. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Rhonda Swan says

    April 24, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    Lots of great value here. Cheers to an unstoppable earth-friendly post!

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 24, 2017 at 4:59 pm

      Thank you so much, Rhonda!

      Reply
  7. Gemma says

    April 24, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    What an awesome spin on working from home! I had no idea where you were going to go with this but I love it!

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 24, 2017 at 5:36 pm

      Thanks so much, Gemma!

      Reply
  8. Jennifer says

    April 24, 2017 at 5:46 pm

    I love this! I don’t think about it much, but my commutes to my two jobs, both on opposite sides of the city, are anything but green. One more reason to work from home someday!

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 24, 2017 at 5:54 pm

      Thanks, Jennifer! Yep, one more reason. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Irene says

    April 24, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    True! We don’t usually think of these benefits when we are considering making the switch. I love that you call it “planning your escape” because that’s exactly how I think of it, although I’m not able to do my job from home at the moment. Maybe someday, and now I have more reasons to consider it!

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 29, 2017 at 8:47 am

      Hi Irene, absolutely! Good luck with your great escape. 🙂

      Reply
  10. dotse afanyede says

    April 25, 2017 at 2:16 am

    I love working from home. Although i haven’t thought about all these benefits, I guess i can be proud of myself for doing something that protect the earth.

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 29, 2017 at 8:45 am

      Yes!! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Karen says

    April 28, 2017 at 7:04 pm

    I never thought of working from home as a green job, even though it completely makes sense. I thought more of working from home as a job that gave me freedom, saved me time and money. I’m also a huge lover of the library. I picked up all my holds today which was about 10 or so. Imagine the cost if I bought ALL those books. Haha.

    Reply
    • Ali says

      April 29, 2017 at 8:44 am

      Hi Karen, totally agree about the many other benefits of working from home. Freedom was a big one for me as well.

      Oh goodness, without the library, I’d be broke. Haha. Or I’d read a lot less, which would be sad, so I hear you on the library love!

      Reply

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