From Reware’s solar-powered Juice Bags to Noon Solar’s range of solar handbags, some of our regular readers may have detected that I have a bit of a “thing” for solar power. I’m sure this is an enthusiasm shared by many web workers: When your working life is governed by the proximity of electricity and availability of connectivity, free solar power would be very welcome!
Sadly, most solar charging products — like the aforementioned Noon Solar and Juice Bags — unnecessarily bundle solar chargers with some other product, like a bag! Fortunately, standalone solar charging products are beginning to find their way to the marketplace. Some of the most intriguing are found in Suntrica’s range of SolarBadge and SolarStrap chargers. Read the rest of this entry »
Last summer, we cheekily covered the Macro-1, a kind of lockable and movable cubicle for coworkers and hotdeskers.
A similar product, but perhaps stranger still, is the recently launched OfficePOD, a self-contained office space intended to create a high-quality office space for employees at home. The OfficePOD is intended to help companies minimize the need for centralized, serviced offices and for employees to have a discrete working space within their home property.
Curiously, rather than a one-off capital purchase, the OfficePOD is being made available as a managed service to employers and workers. The pod is envisaged as being situated outdoors, with electricity and connectivity piped to it from the worker’s home. With just over six 45 square feet of floor space, it’s certainly a cozy workspace!
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I didn’t make many New Year’s resolutions this year. I cut out all those destined to fail, and instead focused on some that I have at least a little hope of achieving. A lot were work related, and one in particular applies primarily to web work. That resoultion? To be more green in my work practices.
It was something I hadn’t paid particular attention to since leaving an office setting. At my last corporate gig, I was instrumental is establishing a proper recycling program. It was easy because it was me vs. the corporate climate. At home, with no machine to rage against, I hadn’t even realized how much could be done.
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When the benefits of teleworking are discussed, one of the major points raised is that teleworking is better for the environment. One of the more obvious causes of this is that if more people work from home, lesser people drive to work, reducing petrol consumption and the emissions that result from it.
A recent survey by the US Consumer Electronics Association found that although the carbon emissions from home offices increased because of telecommuting, the saved petrol consumption more than makes up for it:
The report states that there are 3.9 million people in the U.S. who work from home at least one day a week. By avoiding an average 22-mile commute to the place of work, and taking into account the increased power use in the home, this practice saves about 840 million (U.S.) gallons of petrol, equivalent to taking two million cars off the road for a year.
Source: PC World, Telecommuting Saves Carbon Emissions
Despite these claims, there are still some skeptics.
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In today’s world, we’re all looking for ways to have less of an impact on the environment. One of the main devices that consumes resources is our printers. Between toner/ink and paper, these necessary evils of modern business eat up our pocket book as well as costing us trees in the process.
These tips from PC magazine serve as a good reminder of how to be more judicious with our printing. The suggestions include using your Print Preview more thoroughly, printing to PDF for digital storage and searchability, and really considering whether or not a print job is truly necessary.
Do you have any additional tips? Do you consider yours a paperless office?
(photo credit: Flickr user josef.stuefer)
Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
