I Do Not Want to go to Work

For the past two years, many of us have been working from home, and now that things are seemingly improving, will the home office concept also be near an end?

Common sense states, working from home has a lower environmental impact than commuting to a business location, but this is not necessarily the case.

There are so many variables when it comes to energy use, that the savings from working from home are not as considerable as one may think. Such impacts can vary substantially by employee’s individual characteristics, such as awareness, attitudes, family size, wealth, home energy ratings, and even geographic location and season.

Less commuting, especially with the price of fuel being what it is, has a positive impact, but there is emerging evidence of rebound effects, including increased non-work travel and more short trips. A recent study showed an increase of 26% in short trips, plus a decrease in transit ridership, which leads to a severe increase in costs. These of course, are ultimately paid for by you and me.

From a technology perspective, an interesting fact is when one works at an office, the energy cost in online work (emails, etc.) is equivalent in carbon dioxide per year, as driving 300km in a car. This number has gone up dramatically because of zoom, etc. Add to that, the number of companies who have duplicated equipment by giving employees laptops, and other equipment for use at home.

In Canada, recycling increased during the first lockdown, mainly because people have adopted more sustainable waste practices at home than at the office. Sadly, in numerous locations, especially the US, recycling has not yet become as acceptable. There is also a risk of increased electronic and electrical waste; an estimated 50 million tons a year globally, only 20% of which is formally recycled.

As working from home becomes increasingly popular, fewer of employees’ sustainability impacts are likely to take place under employers’ physical roofs, however, they will still occur on their watch. This means everyone has a responsibility to keep our planet as clean and supportable as possible.