Working from home can help you play a part in making the world more sustainable. For one, you don’t burn fossil fuels in your commute, which reduces your carbon footprint. You can also consume food you’ve prepared at home, reducing instances of taking out these cuts on wastage, saving your coins, and allowing you to eat wholesome meals.
Having an almost zero carbon emissions level is not that easy. It takes a concerted effort in many aspects of life, which may sound like you need to spend more money to become more eco-friendly. This is not true.
Today, we’ll start by looking at how you can reduce your carbon footprint by working from home. Your office desk is the basic building block of your office, so that’s the perfect place to start. We'll top it off with a raft of other green office considerations to complete the visual of your sustainable home office.
Please keep a notepad handy as what you're about to learn is potentially life-changing.
Do I Need a Standing Desk?
To get or not get a standing desk? That is the question that fuels home office improvement Google searches.
The answer is not very straightforward. It depends on various factors, chief among them – How many hours you spend in the office.
Working from home can extend your workday beyond the standard 8 hours. So, it may be wise to get a sit-stand workstation as it will work wonders for your back. If you're yet to feel the burn on your major muscle groups, then it’s probably just a matter of time.
You can forestall such consequences by getting a standing desk and a comfortable ergonomic office chair. A standing desk also allows you to add office fitness equipment like an office fitness chair or a foldable treadmill into the mix.
This measure ensures that you stay active as you go about your daily office tasks.
Why Should I Consider Getting a Bamboo Standing Desk?
Suitable Material
Bamboo is an elegant and environmentally sustainable raw material. It grows in tropical agrarian regions. So, choosing to purchase a bamboo desk helps to develop the economies of such areas.
Bamboo trees also grow by up to 3 feet (1 meter) a day, even in plantations. So the environment doesn't suffer a considerable loss whenever there's a bamboo harvest.
Durability
Many manufacturers favor Steel as a building material because of its 23,300 lbs per square inch tensile strength. But, here's a shocker –bamboo has a higher tensile strength of 28,000 lbs per square inch. This means that a standing desk with a bamboo desktop can take a beating. So, it could be the right match for you, especially if your job is rough on desktop surfaces.
Swell Resistance Factor
A swollen desktop isn't something a lot of people consider when getting a standing desk for your home office. But, the consequences ring home when you use it in the outdoor sun. Atmospheric changes can cause bumps and dents that make your desk surface uneven.
The beauty of a bamboo standing desk is it's not affected by humidity, high temperatures, or dry air. It retains its consistency even after a few decades of use.
Lightweight Products
Bamboo also has a higher tensile strength than Hardwood despite being lighter in weight comparison. This makes any piece of bamboo furniture more portable than the hardwood alternatives.
Hassle-Free Maintenance
Bamboo's tensile strength and resistance to the elements make it impervious to the things that deteriorate a sit-standing desk. So all you need to do is wipe it using a bamboo cloth when it gets dusty or grimy.
Introducing the Ultimate Bamboo Standing Desk
The market may be flooded with standing desks, but finding a dependable Bamboo sit and stand desk is no easy task. However, KANA Bamboo Standing Desk stands out from the rest for some reasons we’ll highlight below.
Specs-wise, the first thing you notice is the curved bamboo desktop shape that covers an area of 48" X 24". The study desk steel frame features a 2 stage lift mechanism powered by dual motors. It supports a weight of up to 300 lbs. so you can stack office equipment to your heart's content.
An advanced LED back-lit control panel gives you control of the height. It also features 3 programmable memory presets that allow you to lock into your desired height without much fuss. You also get friendly reminders that inform users that they've been sitting for too long, and it might be a good idea to get up.
This bamboo standing desk features a robust anti-collision system. So, you won’t damage anything that’s beneath the standing desk when it lowers.
We’ve touched on the robustness of bamboo as a material. But, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention how carbonized 2H lacquer coating makes this standing desk more resistant to scratching, moisture, and infiltration by insects.
Pros and Cons of Getting a Bamboo Standing Desk
Looking at the benefits and demerits of a product helps you avoid any regrets. With that said, it's worth noting that the benefits of a standing bamboo desk far outweigh its demerits.
Pros
Acquiring an adjustable bamboo desk takes considerable financial investment. But, it pays off as you'll get a more extended life service from this piece of office furniture.
Getting up once in a while saves from back, shoulder, and muscle pains. This can also help you save on medical bills as you are sure to avoid seeking the services of chiropractors and other medical specialists down the road.
Pairing your standing desk with office exercise equipment ensures you can work out while on the job. This helps you burn more calories and release serotonin and other hormones that make your workday more joyful.
A healthy mix of enhanced ergonomics and exercise makes you more productive. So, you can clock out earlier or use this energy burst to stay ahead of tasks that could pile up in the future.
Cons
Getting well acquainted with the controls may take you a while.
You may have to go over your budget to get the best bamboo standing desk.
What Else Can I Do in the Push for a Greener Office Space?
Reducing your reliance on paper
Going completely paperless is tricky, mainly if your work relies on collating vast amounts of paperwork. So you may need to adopt some sustainable printing practices. You can execute this by making the following conscious efforts:
Always ask yourself if printing a particular document is essential to your task
Make double-sided prints to economize your paper usage
Opt for non-wood fiber or recycled paper over wood fiber paper
Make a conscious decision to use environmentally sustainable ink, tonner, and refillable printer cartridges. A continuous ink-flow cartridge is also a positive step towards environmental sustainability.
Manage your energy usage
You can't cut workplace electronic devices from your office merely to conserve energy. Our reliance on them to get the job done is indisputable. You can start by looking at each gadget’s energy rating to see how much it consumes. For instance, a laptop consumes less electricity when compared to a desktop PC, yet they perform the same function.
However, some professions have a higher dependence on GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) power. So choosing to use a laptop can be counterproductive and may destroy your device over time. In that case, it may help if you power off anything that's not in use. You can take it a step further by unplugging anything that's not in use.
Water conservation
The persistent drought in California and subsequent state-wide water rationing schemes paint a clear picture of the importance of water conservation in every state. Everyone, including home office workers, has a role to play in preserving our water table.
You can take the following steps to help in this pursuit:
Installing Intelligent Bidet Toilet Seat can convert your cistern into a low-flow evacuation system. To top it off, you can go toilet paper-free while enhancing your hygiene standards as it features a self-cleaning stainless steel nozzle with anti-bacterial and disinfecting properties.
Sweep your floor, patio, and sidewalk instead of wasting water every time they need cleaning. You can use water if the mess is too tough to get rid of using your broom.
Insist on using aerators for all your faucets. Such tools mix air with water, giving you higher water pressure without using more water. This allows you to use low-flow showerheads and still get an exhilarating shower.
Install cooling systems that rely on captured rainwater instead of plugging into your water main.
Office waste reduction
The big 3 R’s (Reuse, Reduce and Recycle) are a recurring theme in any conversation about environmental sustainability. So far, we've touched on home office furniture and materials. However, you can also reuse, recycle or reduce your dependence on the following office supplies:
Paper pins
Bulldog clips
Rubber bands
Pens and pencils
Folder, files, and binders
Erasers
You can also donate disused stationery instead of letting them clutter your workspace. It would also be prudent to take used paper, toners, and electronic waste to a recycling center. This ensures your waste is repurposed for use by others.
Harness the Power of Eco-Friendly Lighting Solutions
Set up your workstation in a location with access to loads of natural light. Such a move reduces your dependence on electric bulbs in illuminating your workspace. If that's out of the question, then you can bounce colored lights off well-placed mirrors.
Natural light radiates UV rays that are essential to the production of vitamin D in your skin. Aside from lifting your mood, it also plays a prominent role in enhancing bone development.
What if your Home office is in the attic or basement? In that case, you can get an LED desk lamp that features an LED bulb, which consumes less electricity.
Conclusion
Employers are the big winners as work-from-home office policies continue to gain traction and popularity. Company owners get to spend less on office equipment, utility costs, and recycling initiatives. Now, these elements are of greater concern to remote workers.
If you are passionate about the environment, it may be wise to initiate a green workplace in your home office. This mindset follows a reduction in your water and electric consumption and other utility bills, or if you wish to have a lower impact on the environment.
As you can see from our tips, even the slightest consideration plays a significant part in our collective responsibility in making the earth a more sustainable place. With that said, this article is too brief to cover everything, but it gives you the perfect starting point.
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