207_The Most Sustainable Workplace: Your Home

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 208

The Most Sustainable Workplace: Your Home

It can literally be overwhelming when you consider the concept and scope of our current global problems. The far reaching effects of our environmental changes and the challenges we face seem insurmountable. One of the biggest challenges we face of course is climate change.

While I do we believe we are beyond the point of easy, I also believe that our climate future has not yet been decided. But what we have to accept is that it is the result of the individual choices of each and everyone of us that got us to this point in the first place. And that is the very reason it is within the grasp of the individual to play a part in the solution.

So join me for E207 The Most Sustainable Workplace: Your Home

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E207 which is called The Most Sustainable Workplace: Your Home

In this episode I want to discuss the environmental, personal and financial benefits of working from home. The growth of the internet along with advancements in technology have made it possible for many people to literally work from anywhere. The effects of such a social movement, especially since the pandemic, have literally been felt on a global scale. I have had often said, it is the little things that make the difference. As you will see in this episode, working from home, even part-time has significant benefits.

During the early months of producing this podcast I finally got to the point where I asked myself if there was any one thing that I did that had zero environmental impact. After some research I decided the answer was no. Every single thing we do as humans has some sort of impact on our planet. But as you could likely guess, some things have far more impact than others.

How we produce our food is a great example. Nearly half the land on the planet has now been altered by one means or another just to accommodate agriculture. In fact, our agricultural production continues to be the leading cause of deforestation. Our carbon emissions is another example. Our indiscriminate burning of fossil fuels is the primary cause of climate change.

While these are just two examples of the many things we do as humans that alters our planet, image what would happen if we significantly changed how we did these two things. After all it is entirely possible for all of us to change how and what we eat. It is also possible to greatly reduce our carbon emissions. Now we may have to get somewhat creative about how we live, but it is possible to change our lifestyle and significantly reduce those emissions. The focus of this episode is to give you one creative solution for cutting your own carbon emissions by nearly 50%.

As humans we burn fossil fuels for a variety of reasons. But what I want to focus on for a minute is our transportation. Total global emissions from transportation alone range from 14% to 28% depending on the country. But if you look at data on the top 5 countries in the world that produce the most GHG emissions, approximately 55% of those emissions are directly related to cars, light duty trucks and SUVs. So image what would happen to carbon emissions if we all reduced our driving by 50%. This may sound drastic but it is entirely possible. Allow me to give you an example from my own life.

A couple of years ago I took the time to analyze every single part of my life from the perspective of environment impact and sustainability. It was no surprise of course the impact of our home and the resources we use is very small because we live off the grid only using renewable energy. However, the benefits that we enjoy from such a lifestyle is canceled out to some degree because of how much we commute.

All that commuting is directly related to us living in the middle of no where. In fact, for many years that has been one of the biggest challenges for living where we do. We are always communing long distances.Consequently, once I figured that out, I decided to get creative and make some changes.

Since I do contract work with multiple hospitals, some of which are 80 miles from where we live, I decided to change who I was willing to work with and how often. By working with hospitals closer to home and utilizing the travel trailer to stay in town at times, I was able to reduce my commuting by 50%. Annette also got a new job which allows her a lot of flexibility including work-from-home days. Likewise, she reduced her commuting by at least 50%. After making these changes, I felt as if we were more inline with where we needed to be. Furthermore, with changes in technology and telemedicine practices, it may be possible for me to build an online practice and work remotely from anywhere. 

Now I do feel that if it possible for Annette and I to make the changes that we did when we live in the middle of the forest, it is also possible for a significant portion of the population the lives in urban areas, to make similar changes.

What if most of us were able to work from home 50% of the time? That alone would reduce the use of our automobiles by nearly 50%, which of course would have a fantastic positive environmental impact. Not to mention, a whole host of other personal benefits.

If you are not convinced then take a look at the statics on what happened to our planet during the pandemic. The natural world made a significant rebound simply due to the lack of human intrusion. So imagine what would happened if the entire planet reduced that intrusion by 50% from now on. This could be easily accomplished if all of us were able to work from home even just part time. So, that is my focus here in this episode is to show you the pros and cons of working from home both from a sustainability and financial perspective.

Benefits of Working From Home

Saves time

The first thing I want to point out is that amount of time you would save. At least in the US, the average one-way commute time is 30 minutes. That is one hour per day for a total of 240 hours per year assuming a 5 day work week. This of course does not account for the amount of time you spend stuck in traffic. Additionally, you spend time everyday showering, getting dressed, and preparing meals for work. Imagine what you could do with an extra 5 to 10 hours per week.

For me this is something of particular value because my average commute time is 1 hour and 15 minutes one way. Consequently when I work out of town and take the travel trailer I save an enormous amount of time that is used for so many other things.

Saves Money

Studies have shown that people who work from home save about $4,000 per year. Vehicle maintenance, gas, parking fees, work clothes, eating take out food, as well as other things can all be reduced or completely eliminated. That is money back in your pocket. That amount of yearly savings adds up quickly.

But, there are also benefits for employers. According to Global Workplace Analytics, most companies can save approximately $11,000 per year for every employee who works from home at least some of the time. And that can be a motivating factor if you are trying to convince your present employer to allow you to work from home.

Less Stress

Ditching the commute would certainly reduce your stress level. Less stress of course has additional benefits for mental and physical well being. The time you would save from not commuting would allow you to focus on other priorities outside of work. You could get extra sleep in the morning, spend more time with family, make a healthy breakfast and even get in a workout. Besides not dealing the stress of commuting just having the ability to focus on things of personal value also reduces your stress.

Improved Work-Life Balance

One of the benefits to many remote jobs is a flexible schedule. That means you can start and end your day when you choose as long as your work gets done. Having a little flexibility is invaluable for taking care of needs in your personal life. Dropping the kids off at school, running errands, getting vehicle maintenance done, or meeting up with friends all become easier when you have a flexible schedule.

Improved Health and Wellness

Most studies have shown that flexible, remote workers tend to be happier and more loyal employees. In many ways this is related to lower stress and improved personal relationships. Coworker and manager relationships also benefit due to the lack of distractions and office politics.

But working from home also has added healthy benefits such as:

-less exposure to illness

-More time for physical activity and self care

-Ability to eat healthier

-Option for creating your own comfortable work space

-Ease of caring for any health problem or injury if needed.

No limits on geographic location

If you are not limited by geographic location because of telecommuting, you automatically have a much broader range of employment opportunities. This is beneficial if you live in a rural area or a small town where there is limited opportunity. This also means you could literally be a nomad if you really want that type of lifestyle. Also if you have a partner that has to relocate frequently, you would be able to keep the same employment. Working remotely is also a great way to avoid areas with a high cost of housing. Additionally, you never have to live near a big city unless you really want to. 

Positive Environmental Impact

During the COVID-19 pandemic there were 3.9 million employees that worked from home at least part of the time. Because of this, the reduced carbon emissions was the equivalent of taking 600,00 vehicles off the road for an entire year. This alone showed us the environmental value of people working from home.

But beyond what happened during the pandemic,  all the people that work from home at least part time saves 7.8 billion vehicle miles annually, 3 million tons of GHG emissions, and $980 million in gas.

And to take this concept a bit further, if work from home employees make environmentally sound choices, such as adjusting heating, lighting, and going paperless, this potentially has the same impact on air quality as planting 91 million trees.

Sustainability

Working remotely also encourages responsible consumption, it reduces inequalities in the workplace, and it can promote the development of sustainable cities as well as mitigating some of the effects of climate change. Because most developed countries have a strong car culture one of the fastest ways to reduce our carbon footprint is to reduce the amount of time we spending driving. The effects of this was quite obvious during the pandemic.

Customize Your Work Environment

For me the best part of working from home is that I can customize my work environment. I can work in the quiet or play music if I want. If I want to work in isolation I can do that as well. Furthermore, I have several places on the homestead where I can sit and work depending on what suits me. Not to mention the fact that I can wear whatever I want and never worry about what someone else thinks.

Increase productivity

There are numerous reasons that telecommuting leads to increase productivity. A much quieter work place, less or more efficient meetings, fewer interruptions and distractions, less office politics, and no commuting leads to increased productivity. When done correctly, remote work allows employers and employees to focus more on what really matters which is productivity.

Disadvantages of working from home

Now despite all the obvious benefits of working from home, it is truly not for everyone. The same is true for being self employed. After 24 years of self employment I still have people asking me how I do what I do. Nothing is perfect of course. There is a downside to being self employed and working remotely.

It can be very isolating

If you are a very social person, working from home can be very isolating. You may be surprised how much you miss the workplace camaraderie and the interactions with other people. You also cannot discount the benefits of professional collaboration and the friendships that are made in the workplace. These things often lead to future opportunities.

Devoted space for a home office

If you are truly going to work from home successfully you have to have an area that is devoted to only work. Depending on your living situation, this may be difficult to accomplish. However, it is a must.

You have to have will power

To some degree, being in the office with other people can help keep you focused. When you are at home alone, it is more difficult to do that. Consequently, you have to have the will power to stay on track. Take my advice and try setting a timer like I do knowing that you have to fully focus during that 50 minutes.

Staying motivated is not always easy

If you happen to be an extrovert, working at home is going to be more difficult. If you thrive on face-to-face collaboration or impromptu socializing with colleagues, the solitary nature of working from home may actually hinder productivity. You have to be able to motivate yourself to work efficiently. When I am working from home I often set a timer for 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break. When I sit down to work I focus and accomplish as much as I can during that time.

There are distractions even working at home

Even with working at home, there are going to be distractions. Pets, family members, roommates, people knocking at the door, things on your home to do list that seem more important can all be mentally distracting. Consequently, you have to set aside time devoted to work and only work. Otherwise, you are not going to be able to pull this off.

Difficulty sticking to a routine

You will find that the order you do things in at the office is different from what you would do at home. Finding a new order to things can be difficult. It is sometimes difficult to mirror the same processes you have with being physically present in the workplace.

Ordering food

While working at home does increase your opportunity to eat healthier, it is also very tempting to get lazy and order food to be delivered. This is of course much less healthy and costs you money. Do like I do and always have left overs that are quick and easy to heat up. Fortunately for me, because of where we live, no can deliver food to us anyway.

Boredom

Boredom can also be a problem if you work solo. Again, you may miss the interaction you have with your coworkers. You may miss all the conversations that break up the routine. So you have to find a way to relieve the boredom. For me, I often do some small little thing for myself for everyday that I spend working from home. Sometimes this is making my favorite coffee drink, cooking one of my favorite foods, listening to some of my favorite music, or just going for a walk in the forest. My best advice is to do things for yourself similar to this in order to avoid the boredom.

It may impact your health

Despite the obvious benefits of working at home, it has the potential impacting your health in a  negative way. This is mostly related to moving around less. The most you walk is to your home office and to your coffee maker. Consequently, you need to make the effort to move around and get some physical activity.

Summary

If you have been following me then you know that I have been self employed for well over 20 years. Not only that, a certain amount of my work can be done from the homestead. But being self employed or working remotely is not for everyone. It obviously has a lot of benefits but also some very definite draw backs.

Working from home can save you a considerable amount of time, money, reduce your stress, comes with obvious health benefits, and improve your work-life balance. Some of the best benefits of working remotely is that you are not limited by geographic location, it broadens your employment opportunities, and you can customize your work environment to your liking.

But as is always the case, it is the little things that make a difference. Often times we do things out of habit and never give it a thought, such as driving back and forth to work everyday. Most of us never think about the cost of that one simple thing. But in a 2017 report, according to AAA it costs 60.8 cents per mile on average to operate your personal automobile. If you drive 35 miles per day, 5 days per week, over 30 years of your working life, your total expenses are going to be almost $160K. That is a considerable amount of money that you could actually save and put to good use such as a retirement fund. 

Whenever I talk about living a sustainable life what I find is that many people have the impression that it will detract from their quality of life. This is one of the road blocks for people changing what they do and how they live because they think they are going to have to give up a lot of things.  However, working from home is a win-win.

It is better for the planet because one of our main detrimental impacts we produce is related to how much we drive. Reducing the use of your personal vehicle by working from home even part-time would have a significant positive impact on carbon emissions. Better yet, this is something within the reach of every single person. Each of us can easily play a part in solving the climate change dilemma. But working from home also has a whole host of personal benefits. However, as with most things, there has to be a balance.

To avoid some of the detrimental effects of working in isolation, most people achieve a nice balance with working part-time at home and part-time in the office. This is exactly what I do a great deal of the time. At times I will also take a job out of state and live in the travel trailer in order to get a break from the homestead. Once I come back I am happy to be there and motivated to take on any challenges.

The bottom line is that there are a significant number of things we can do as individuals to live more sustainably and work against further climate change. Reducing the amount we drive our personal vehicles is a perfect example. So, think about the possibility of working from home even if it is on a part time basis. It is an easy thing to do given the internet and modern technology. Having been self employed for many years, working on my own is not something I would even give up. Despite the drawbacks, I still enjoy the flexibility and personal freedom far too much. Consequently, it is something I strongly recommend.

Sustainability Tip of the Week

Now I want to start wrapping up this episode with the sustainability tip of the week which is just a short discussion about the benefits of sustainability. The benefits of living sustainably fall into three broad categories that include the three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profits.

Socially, people benefit because sustainability helps to improve quality of life, strengthen community bonds, and guarantee equity and justice for every single person. Our planet benefits because of the preservation of the environment, maintaining biodiversity, and reducing waste. The economy benefits through increased job opportunities, equal employment, and reduced expenditures for water, energy, gas, and other resources.

So to wrap up this episode I want to emphasize that so many of us look at our global challenges and think there is nothing we can do as individuals that will truly make a difference. But that is not true. It is the little things that make a difference. Working from home even on a part time basis has a host of benefits for the planet, for your health and well-being, and for your bank account. So, give it a try.

In closing folks, I truly hope this episode has been helpful and you will join me again next week for another episode. Until then, always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.