Working from home in a home office is already on the right path to being green. After all, when you work from home you save on the energy costs of commuting. Plus, if you work full time at home, then you are saving on a separate business office or second location. But don’t assume that your home office is completely green. There are several ways that you make your home office greener.
For a greener home office, you want to start by eliminating waste as much as possible. You can start by replacing your normal home office supplies with recycled or repurposed materials. Include a recycling bin for paper that can no longer be used for scrap paper.
Make sure to set your computer equipment so that it will sleep or power down if ten minutes passes with no activity. There is a difference between having a monitor sleep and having the entire computer sleep. Don’t forget to shut it all completely down at the end of the work day.
When setting up your office, you want to make sure to use environmentally friendly materials, such as no VOC paint, carpeting and furniture. This will ensure not only earth friendly manufacturing, but it will also ensure that the air quality in your home is good. Of course, be aware of the cleaners that you use as well.
Another way to keep the air cleaner in your home office is to supply it with a few houseplants. These plants will produce oxygen and may actual filter out some harmful toxins from the air.
When it comes to heating and cooling, you can have a more friendly home office by lowering the thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer. Because you will probably be stationary while you are working, make use of a small personal heater that will warm you instead of the the entire room. Bundle up or shed down, depending on the season.