(Original version published by “Law Technology News“, June 2009 here)
My Milwaukee-based business, MicroLaw Inc., has a traditional office suite in a building my partner and I co-own with another technology company.
The upside of going to the office is the collegiality experienced with my co-workers and the lack of a 42″ plasma HDTV and Tivo to distract me.The downside: they are wonderful, but a significant distraction from getting work done. So I often choose to work, virtually, at home.
But golden silence isn’t the only reason. Another motivation is the desire to reduce my carbon impact, and go “green.” Here are steps I’ve taken:
Reduced commute:
Perhaps the most obvious “green” benefit of working at home (besides typing in gym shorts and a t-shirt) is that with no commute, you gain productivity time and reduce gas costs, cut auto emissions, and wear and tear on my car (or for those in towns with it, reduce your public transportation ticket expenses).
Furniture:
My home office is housed in a computer armoire, which I chose because it was made solely from renewable hardwoods. When purchasing furniture, check to confirm that the wood is from a managed, renewable forest; and look for finishes that use natural products, such as tung oil and beeswax, instead of toxic stains and lacquers. Avoid products that use formaldehyde resins, plywood particle board, or veneers.
Flooring:
Bamboo is a great choice because it grows like a weed (i.e., is highly renewable), and is available in a wide range of options. Cork is also another popular, green option, which adds the benefit of built-in soundproofing.
Looking for more eco-decorating advice? Check out Planet Green from the Discovery Channel, which offers an eco-friendly furniture guide here. And HGTV has a “Green Home” venue on its website here.
Electricity:
Another goal for my home office was to minimize my power usage. I have a docked Lenovo ThinkPad 61 laptop, a 22-inch LCD external display, an external USB drive, a wireless router, a Vonage VoIP router, an Apple Inc. Time Capsule hard drive and iPod Touch, a Samsung color laser printer and a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner. I also have a Research in Motion Ltd. BlackBerry 8830, an Amazon.com. Inc. Kindle, and a Panasonic digital camera with a battery that needs regular charging.
There are many ways to reduce “phantom” electricity costs for equipment that is turned off but not unplugged — sometimes called standby power, vampire power, or leaking electricity. Devices that are powered off or in a standby mode can still use 10 to 15 watts (or more) of power. Among the options: use a surge protector that completely cuts off power consumption when attached devices are powered off or in standby mode. Or try the Smart Strip power strip from Bits Ltd. that automatically turns off peripheral devices when it senses the main computer is turned off.
Another example of the growing range of smart power devices is Belkin International Inc.’s Converse Energy-Saving Surge Protector. The $49.95 device kills standby power consumption with a single click of the remote control (See also “Exorcise Your Phantoms,” by Joseph Howie.
Battery power:
This may be counter-intuitive, but you can save energy by running laptops on battery power. My primary computer is a Lenovo ThinkPad T61 and I have several secondary systems (a 13-inch aluminum MacBook, and two netbooks: a Lenovo IdeaPad S10 and a Samsung NC20). Avoiding AC also “exercises” your laptop’s lithium ion battery, yielding longer life. Caveat: Keep the power meter on “high performance.”
Solar Chargers:
I charge my iPod and BlackBerry with solar power whenever possible. I have a window with southern exposure and use a Brunton Inc. Solaris USB charger and a Solaris i6 iPod charger. The chargers are not cheap ($160 and $208, respectively),but they save on AC power.
Lights:
For real bang for your buck, use low-wattage fluorescent daylight lighting. For night work, I replaced my incandescent bulbs with 19-watt Blue-Max HD fluorescent daylight bulbs ($12). Equivalent to a 75-watt incandescent bulb, they are color-tuned to offer a daylight light spectrum, reducing the harshness of traditional fluorescent bulbs and consuming less power. They also last longer than traditional bulbs (about 12,000 hours versus about 1,000 hours for incandescent bulbs).
Go Paper LESS and Go Green!
A side benefit of my now 15-year old Paper LESS Office process: E-mail documents whenever possible; read documents on-screen, proof on-screen, receive faxes via netfax services. Use dual monitors to expand your visual work space – or go with three or more (all Energy Saver compliant of course!) Today’s larger 22-inch LCD displays are now available for less than $200, including those that pivot to portrait mode for easier on-screen reading and proofing so you’ll be less tempted to print, just to proof.
When you do get hard copies, scan the paper into your document management system (i.e. Worldox – long my favorite) and then shred unneeded paper and recycle the shreds (or line your hamster cage!)
Every step you take does make a green difference. And while saving the planet, you’ll protect your checking account – you’ll save money on paper, printer consumables and printer AC power reduction. So going green can grow your profits as well.