Is working from home as eco-friendly and sustainable as we think?
Working from home might not cut our carbon footprint as much as we’d like to believe…
What if we redesigned what it’s like to live based on how people are working? — Wade Foster
When you think of 21st century carbon emissions, what comes to mind?
Car engines humming in standstill traffic. Office heaters working in the winter months. Lights on all day in office buildings.
These all, of course, have a significant carbon footprint. So doesn’t it make more sense for people to work remotely, whether at home or as digital nomads?
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It seems like an easy win for companies to no longer keep the lights on 10+ hours/day, 5+ days/week. But unfortunately, according to new research from WSP UK, our world’s carbon emission problem doesn’t have an answer as simple as everyone should just work from home.
Admittedly, it does seem intuitive to think working from home is clearly better for the environment, 365/24/7. That’s because at the core of sustainability is a reliance on reduced carbon emissions. And many of these emissions come from car engines and the insane amount of energy it takes to power most office buildings.
Talking long term, workers trading in their morning work commute for a bed-to-couch commute may only minimally help (at best) — and at worst, it may do more harm than good for the environment.
After taking a look at the carbon output of 200 workers across various locations, the new research found that “…the environmental impact of remote workers was higher in winter due to the need to heat individual workers’ buildings versus one office building.”
…the environmental impact of remote workers was higher in winter due to the need to heat individual workers’ buildings versus one office building.
Is it true?
Automated integration tool Zapier (a company I really admire), which has 320 employees working in 27 countries, is a pioneer in the world of remote work. Zapier is one of the first fully-remote companies to buy carbon offsets to help “cancel out” their carbon footprint.
Zapier’s CEO says that in 2019, Zapier used reforestation (paying to plant more trees) to offset 647 tons of carbon, which was emitted into the atmosphere via home offices, Zapier’s corporate buildings and team retreats (requiring travel), paid for by the company.
And travel is perhaps the biggest culprit for Zapier’s carbon footprint. Airplanes, while “necessary” to keep the world turning on its axis, emit insane amounts of carbon per flight, and hundreds of planes fly every day.
But even when pioneering companies like Zapier make strides to reduce their environmental footprint, it’s possible their carbon calculations may be incomplete, says Meredith Turtis of BBC News.
Turtis says this shouldn’t downplay companies taking strides — it’s a good thing. But it does mean it may be time to rethink (and recalculate) our footprint as the remote work community.
Turtis also claims that “…if sustainability is the future of the planet, then the remote jobs that seem like the future of work may not actually be. In fact, workers may end up back in offices.”
…if sustainability is the future of the planet, then the remote jobs that seem like the future of work may not actually be. In fact, workers may end up back in offices.
–Meredith Turtis
Corporate responsibility…literally?
This afternoon, I was listening to a NY Times podcast talking about America’s mega-corporations and their sustainability claims.
Some corps, such as Delta Airlines, are taking the carbon neutral route, claiming to purchase enough carbon offsets (e.g. wind turbine fields and reforestation efforts) to literally neutralize their carbon footprint.
Others, like Microsoft, are taking an even more aggressive approach, claiming that in the next 10 years, they’ll compensate for every ounce of carbon emissions they’ve been responsible for since 1975 (!!!).
It’s worth noting neither of these companies are great examples for remote workers, since they’re more traditional workplaces.
Still, there is a loud, strong push for remote flexibility. The new era of workers want the option to work from wherever, whenever.
This could mean our future is less about corporations taking turns putting out 200-page sustainability reports (that seem more like marketing gimmicks, if we’re being honest) and more about switching gears—focusing our sustainability efforts on better solutions for remote workers.
As for right now, people are trying to find their own solutions, like installing solar panels.
But for remote workers, it’s all a work in progress. We’re all a work in progress.
