Creating an eco-friendly home office can be tricky. After all, prioritising convenience and efficiency seems easier when trying to thrive at work. This is why many end up making less-than-environmentally conscious choices, even those trying to live sustainably.
If this sounds like you, don’t worry. There are many ways to design and craft a green work-from-home setup, and we will share some of them with you in this guide.
What is an eco-friendly home office?
An eco-friendly home office reduces energy consumption, produces as little waste and pollutants as possible, and saves money. Here are some of its noteworthy features:
- Uses furniture and decor from recyclable and non-pollutant materials
- Built through sustainable construction methods
- Equipped with appliances, office supplies, and other items that minimise waste and energy consumption
Why create an eco-friendly home office
Creating an eco-friendly workspace offers lots of benefits. By having one in your home, you can boost your productivity, enhance your well-being, and create a positive impact on the environment.
Tips for creating an eco-friendly home office
A true eco-friendly home office is planned and built in a way that reduces environmental impact. To ensure that the workspace and its building design are in harmony with the environment right from the very beginning, enlist the help of a skilled draftsman.
On the other hand, if you already have an existing home office, don’t worry. Here are some tips to create an eco-friendly workspace:
Use eco-friendly paints
Traditional interior paints are a source of indoor air pollution. They produce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) even long after they have dried, which are then released into the air as gases.
The effects of these petroleum-based solvents are 2-5 times higher indoors than outdoors. Exposure for a long time could cause headaches, dizziness, and eye irritation.
When painting your home office, look for natural paints or low-VOC acrylics. These safer alternatives use plant-derived solvents and binders, so they have less impact on air quality.
Take advantage of natural light
Letting natural light into your workspace can reduce your need for artificial light and heating. This will help cut down on electricity and heating bills. For this reason, pick a location that gets maximum light for your home office.
Use energy-efficient lighting
Energy-efficient lighting is a must for every eco-friendly home office. That said, opt for light-emitting diode (LED) lights. They are free from mercury and other toxic chemicals in traditional light bulbs. Also, they reduce energy usage by up to 90% and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Buy environmentally friendly office supplies
Office supplies can play an important role in your productivity. Sadly, they often harm the environment.
To create a green workspace, choose eco-friendly office products, such as recycled paper, refillable pens, and staple-less staplers. Making this small change can reduce your carbon footprint.
Opt for second-hand office furniture
When setting up a home office, choosing the convenient route of buying ready-to-assemble furniture can be tempting. However, this is not the best idea when you’re into eco-friendly living.
This type of furniture is usually made of hazardous materials. Plus, its production and shipping produce a large carbon footprint, causing environmental damage.
Instead of fast furniture, reuse or repurpose old items or go for second-hand. Hitting up flea markets or antique stores for office furniture can save you money and get you what you need of potentially higher quality for less environmental impact.
Add plants to your workspace
Indoor plants can do more than bring life to your home office as home decor. They can improve indoor air quality by reducing carbon dioxide levels and boosting relative humidity. In other words, they act as a natural humidifier.
Whether you have a green thumb or not, adding air-purifying indoor plants to your home office is worth a try. These are some that are relatively easy to care for:
- Aloe vera
- Bamboo palm
- Boston fern
- Dracaena
- Ficus
- Garden mum
- Peace lily
- Snake plant
- Spider plant
Go paperless
Paper contributes to deforestation and produces carbon dioxide, sulphur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. It also makes up about 26% of waste dumped in landfills.
Going paperless lets you do your part to save the environment. By reducing paper usage, you help conserve energy and save trees. In return, you can increase your productivity and save yourself from the hassle of filing or storing stacks of papers.
Here are some tips for going paperless at home:
- Use digital tools for communication and collaboration
- Switch to digital magazines and newspapers
- Save documents online
Reuse, recycle, repurpose
Reducing waste in your home office is possible by reusing, recycling, and repurposing items you already own. This can reduce the demand for new materials and minimise the impact on the environment.
There are many ways to practice this. For example, you can upgrade an old lamp with energy-efficient lighting. You can also donate old office equipment, saving the energy needed for disposal and manufacturing.
Remember to unplug
Appliances and electronics left plugged in slowly drain energy even if they’re switched off. These energy vampires can waste up to 23% of your home’s energy and increase your electricity bill.
To stop the energy drain, switch off your devices when you’re not using them. Also, don’t forget to unplug at the end of the day, especially over the weekend.
You can also use a power strip so you can easily turn multiple devices off and not worry about leaking electricity. This can reduce your overall carbon footprint and save on household expenses.
Opt for eco-friendly cleaning products
A neat and organised home office can do wonders for your well-being and productivity. This is why cleaning your workspace is important. However, most commercially available cleaning products contain toxic chemicals that can harm the environment. For this reason, it’s better to switch to eco-friendly alternatives.
Using household products with non-synthetic ingredients to clean your home office can limit the negative impact on the environment. Baking soda, white vinegar, and lemon juice are just some of the non-toxic products that can help you meet your cleaning needs.
Ready to go green?
Setting up an eco-friendly home office can help not only the environment but also your well-being. Because of this, consider following these tips in this guide.
The best thing about this is you don’t have to spend a lot to implement these initiatives. As long as you’re consistent, the small changes you do in your home office can help you lead a more environmentally conscious life.
