Whether working from home or the office, creating a workspace that is climate-positive is good for the environment. It involves designing your office with an eco-friendly set-up or otherwise “green office” in mind. A green office space maintains its functionality while minimizing its carbon footprint. It may take some effort but achieving a climate-positive workstation is worth its weight in gold.
So what are some ways you can turn your workspace green?
1. Manage your energy consumption. You may not even realize it, but several devices in your house dramatically consume your power even when not used. After a while, inflated power bills and the general environmental effects can accumulate rapidly and take their toll. To save more energy, turn off devices that aren't in use, activate their power-saving features when they are, ensure power-saving devices are compliant with ENERGY STAR, replace desktops with more efficient laptops and finally, do away with surplus devices like additional lighting or mini-fridges.
2. Use natural light as much as possible. If your office has some windows, you always keep them covered, draw those blinds and make the most of the available natural light. In modest amounts, it will be hugely beneficial to you, ranging from improving mood and The move will remove the need for artificial lighting that inevitably consumes energy. If you are not so lucky, then use light colors to enhance the lighting in the room and when you have to use artificial light, choose LEDs.
3. Remember the "big Rs ."Reusing, reducing, and recycling are fiercely advocated when building a climate-positive workstation. Don’t just throw away that rubber band you just finished with; you can use it again in several ways. Also, reduce the number of office supplies you consume because it simply piles on the waste that pollutes the environment. Finally, ensure you recycle to avoid discarding as much waste as possible.
4. Avoid creating waste as much as possible. Although this may sound impossible at first glance, there are different ways to eliminate all the small pieces of trash you leave around the office daily. Pins, sticky notes, scraps of paper, and disposable plates regularly accumulate in your office while they can avoid them. You can clear them by digitizing records, using whiteboards, using recycled paper, or simply doing away with printers and removing packaged foods from the office.
5. Purchase used and sustainable furniture. When setting up your workspace, it is easy to get carried away by the temptation to rush downtown and buy typical office chairs. However, don't do this as such furniture significantly harms the environment when thrown away or through carbon footprints when shipped. Instead, purchase sustainable products that offer you much more quality with negligible environmental influence.
Having said this, it is clear that you can do a lot to increase your workstation's climate positivity. Starting with the basics and incorporating tips will give you a good feel of the benefits of having an eco-friendly workstation. Since the pandemic, however, most people have resorted to working from home as the benefits became apparent after the lockdown. The phenomenon is linked to various factors like flexible schedules for employees, efficiency in saving money, and letting them to stay with their families more. The corresponding increase in time spent sitting and in sedentary positions has become a cause for concern due to certain lifestyle diseases linked to it.
At the forefront of this campaign are standing desks, purposefully crafted to meet the ergonomic requirements of employees. However, technological advancements have been fast and now see eco-friendly standing desks designed without violating sustainability requirements.
Some of the best standing desks for green office space include:
1. The Kana Bamboo Standing Desk
As indicated by the desk's name, it is made from Bamboo, durable, and resistant to daily wear. The Bamboo is additionally coated with 2H Lacquer to ensure the desk's surface is resistant to any scratching from insects, resulting in a standing desk that is visually stunning. It also has a frame that can be customized across various stages, each with specific presets for easy use. It increases user flexibility and legroom with a design that lacks a crossbar and a lowered decibel count for less noise when operating it. It can also support advanced loading capacity and stability using its dual-motor system while upholding sustainability through chemical-free production and responsibly sourcing its weight. For more information on the Kana, Bamboo Standing desk, visit Flexispot.
2. Willow Solid Wood Standing Desk
Made of solid, the desk comes with a sleek desktop, and the frame is stain-resistant high-grade steel, removing the likelihood of its instability even when raised to maximum height. With powerful motors that ensure smooth transitions between different heights and a long service life, the Flexispot Willow represents one of the most cost practical standing desks. It also upholds sustainability through avoidance of toxic materials during development while managing to offer various color options like red and black.
3. Xdesk Terra
Made from plantation oak and natural Bamboo, the Terra has become one of the most revered standing desks. The desk epitomizes excellence, fitted with adjustable columns that are dually powered, smooth transitions when raising or lowering the height, increased capacity, and indisputable elegance. It also has integrated storage options and the most user-centered modifications. In addition, the Terra manages to hide its wiring, gears stealthily, and motors to create a stunning minimalist design.
4. Xdesk Air
In a shift from preceding desks primarily designed around wooden tops, the Xdesk Air has a surface made from recycled Aluminum that is machined and covered by a thin layer of tempered glass that works together to create a stunning visual effect. The Aluminum also works to increase the strength of the desk concerning loading capacity while also being sustainable. Aluminum is among the best abundant metal in the world, but recycling it uses only a fifth of the energy required to forge it while retaining quality initially; it is also non-corrosive. The tempered glass works with Aluminum to refract light and create a dazzling look.
5. MojoDesk Gamer Pro Standing Desk
The desk has a Carbon Fiber desktop, a shift from the typical wooden tops of other standing desks. It emphasizes ergonomics by placing a bezel to rest your arms on while managing to be aesthetically pleasing. What's more, it comes with four preset buttons with a set of predetermined heights; the mechanism for raising and lowering the desk ensures that it is smooth, while the CPU provides you can save your own presets. An emphasis on sustainability is in the packaging material made of recyclable material with magnets for easy assembly.
6. Ascent Hi-Low Standing Desk
Made by Greenington, the desk consists of a tabletop that is eco-friendly and made of Moso Bamboo. It has adjustable heights of 30 to 50" and 60" in width, granting it a wider surface top and larger loading capacity. It is also designed with ergonomics, meaning it works to minimize discomfort and pain. It also has four programmable settings for memory while ensuring sustainability is observed during harvesting and no chemicals during production.
7. Forest Standing Desk
Developed by Chassie, the desk features a plywood desktop made from Baltic birch, a frame made of steel, and a loading capacity of 250lbs. It utilizes threaded metal inserts for easy assembly as opposed to screws. The surface is also a whiteboard where users can write and effortlessly erase. In addition, the Forest Sanding Desk has invisible charging for wirelessly charging devices. It upholds sustainability by responsibly harvesting and using the birch.
8. Standard Standing Desk E1
With an adjustable height of 28 to 47”, the desk boasts increased sturdiness, anti-scratch coating, Bamboo on its desktop, and a frame designed to hold the weight of users and their respective laptops. It uses Bamboo picked by farmers who harvest it by hand, highlighting its commitment to sustainability. Raising and lowering are automatically performed at the press of a button. The desk has also paced quality assurance tests to emerge as one of the premier standing desks for green offices.
9. Xpressions Writable Surface Standing Desk
One of the only desks certified by Greenguard, the desk comes with a steel frame and tempered glass surface on which users can write. The writable surface is handy when you need to jot something down quickly but have no pen in sight. It also has a rear panel that serves as storage for minor items, while its patented swing pendulum works to accommodate users who are typically fidgety. It is one of the most eco-friendly and budget-friendly standing desks in the market at present.
10. BDI Furniture Centro Lift Standing Desk
Endowed with a lifting mechanism that automatically adjusts its height, the Centro Lift is as stylish as it is climate-positive. It also has a steel frame that is powder coated and a glass top that is etched, slightly textured, and resistant to prints. In addition, the top is non-reflective, meaning that glare will not be an issue for you while using it. Its memory lets you save your preferred setting height settings for easy access next time. Additionally, the Centro Lift has small drawers where you can store devices and similar accessories. Finally, it is sustainable, as evidenced by its compliance with Prop 65 and the absence of toxic materials or finishes.
