6 Ways to Be More Eco-Friendly While Working
<p>You probably want to be more eco-friendly but it might be possible that you do not know what to do more. You bring your reusable bags at the grocery store, you compost, you recycle but is it enough? What can you do more? Whether you work from home, a coffee shop or a coworking office, there are many ways to be more eco-friendly easily. We found you 6 tips on how to be greener when you are a freelancer or a self-employed worker.</p>
<h3><strong>Use of Electricity</strong></h3>
<p>Let us start with the basics. We use an astronomic quantity of electricity for heating and lighting. In fact, heating and cooling represent 60% of our energy consumption. If you work from home, in a specific room, for instance, you could lower the temperature of your office when you are not there or during nighttime. You could do the same with your air conditioning. To help you monitor these more effectively, you could change your old thermostats for newer programmable ones. Why not use this opportunity to turn off the lights more often? Do you need to have the lights on during the daytime? Moreover, it is also suggested to turn off all electronic devices when you do not use them. For example, to can put your computer monitor in standby mode or turn off your printer when you do not use them. Thus, besides using less energy, it will help you save money.</p>
<h3><strong>Keep Your Working Devices Longer</strong></h3>
<p>It may be tempting to change your cellphone for a newer one; however, we suggest you keep it if your device is still functional. You could try to repair it first if it is broken. Furthermore, why not buy your working devices at a second-hand store? You could be surprised by the huge quantity of products you can find like office furniture. Similarly, if you need to get rid of some office equipment, you could give them to charities and non-profit organizations. It will help other people. Do not forget the 4R philosophy: reduce, reuse, recycle and reclaim.</p>
<h3><strong>Avoid Paper</strong></h3>
<p>According to some estimations, a worker produces between 70 kg and 85 kg of paper per year. It is true that you are not a worker but a freelancer; however, these statistics are not to be taken lightly. What can you do in order to reduce the quantity of paper you use on a daily basis? First, do you need to print all the documents or can you keep everything on your computer? Try to ask yourself if printing is necessary. If it is, why not choose to print on recycled paper? You can also choose double-sided printing too or to print only in white and black since it requests less energy. Some printers also offer a more eco-friendly option using less electricity or ink. Finally, you can send your invoices online with <a href="https://www.momenteo.com/" target="_blank">Momenteo</a>. </p>
<h3><strong>The Weight of Your Email Box</strong></h3>
<p>Did you know that to keep a full email box is very energy-intensive? In fact, all your data including all your emails are stocked and this requests a huge amount of energy. Billions of emails are sent each day and despite what we think, this process uses electricity. Take then this opportunity to clean your email and delete what you do not need anymore. Do you also need to subscribe to all these newsletters that you will not read anyway? It is estimated that a worker produces approximately 180 kg of CO2 only with his emails. This is worrisome!</p>
<h3><strong>Get the Most of Your Trips</strong></h3>
<p>We already know that we need to avoid to use our cars if we want to be greener. With the latest technological breakthroughs, it is now easier to communicate with your partners or your clients without needing to visit them. There are a lot of video conferencing software services where it is possible to join a meeting easily. Did you also think of working directly from home? Besides giving you the opportunity to add your house as a deduction for your business, you will save a lot of time and money. In addition, it is also possible to use other means of transport, whether it is public transport or a bicycle, for example. </p>
<h3><strong>Do Not Forget Coffee</strong></h3>
<p>If you are a coffee fanatic and that you cannot live without it, there are more eco-friendly options too. To start with, avoid single-use glasses and use instead reusable mugs. Think about all glasses that will not go into the trash, especially if you drink at least one coffee per day. Moreover, many restaurants offer discounts when you bring your own mug with you. You could also avoid drinking coffee from capsules. It produces a lot of trash and most of these capsules are not recyclable. It exists, however, some reusable capsules where you can add your coffee with some devices. Did you know that coffee ground makes a very good fertilizer for your plants? </p>
<p></p>
<p>In conclusion, there are many ways you can be greener as a freelancer or a self-employed worker. We hope we manage to inspire you. Do not hesitate to add plants to your work environment too. Besides making your office more beautiful, it will purify the air. What do you do to be eco-friendly on a daily basis? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments!</p>