The effects of climate have been felt around the world with increasing incidences of earthquakes, floods, forest fires, locusts swarms, and more. It is now more evident that we all have to be more environmentally-conscious individuals, especially in our business practices.
Coworking spaces are heeding the call and are at the forefront of the ‘green’ campaign, creating spaces that prioritize eco-friendly habits and encouraging sustainable behaviors among their clients. To start with, coworking spaces are inherently sustainable by design because they are shared spaces where many people share resources. In addition, coworking spaces owners have made them more accessible by choosing strategic locations close to the people, thereby reducing commuting times and hence harmful gas emissions.
Creating green workspaces not only helps the environment but also comes with greater savings. In addition, a sustainable workspace promotes productiveness and general wellness for users. This gives any coworking space that has adopted sustainable measures an added advantage as more people prioritize the environment and their wellness.
Here are some of the easy ways that you can also help your coworking space become more sustainable.
– Be part of the green movement
Connect with like-minded people in the community by participating in eco-friendly initiatives. Offer your help to the people and other businesses who have as sustainable goals as you. Use this opportunity to build a community of highly committed individuals who can join or be advocates of your green coworking space. Remember that you will need a good coworking platform to help you manage employees and people in your efforts to build a community. Additionally, hold seminars, talks, and other events to train staff and clients on green living. This can cover topics such as recycling, using energy efficiently among other lessons about maintaining a sustainable life.
– Grow plants in the space
Bring the outdoors indoors by growing plants in your coworking space. Plants are great for filtering harmful toxins and purifying the air indoors. The good thing about keeping plants indoors is that they don’t require too many fertilizers and chemicals that are harmful to the environment to grow. Don’t worry about providing them with enough sunlight. You can always grow them under grow lights. These come with a technology that mimics the sun to ensure that your plants get all the lighting needs the sun can give.
– Encourage clients to use sustainable commuting
Most coworking spaces have done well by coming closer to the people as much as possible. But, for the people who still commute, consider sensitizing them to use greener options. You can start by installing bike racks on the premises to encourage biking to work. Encourage them to use motorized bikes for faster commutes. Electric bikes are also great as they have zero emissions and are kinder to the roads. Other options for green commuting include using electric cars, carpooling with colleagues, or walking to work.
– Switch to more energy-efficient technology
Saving energy is a good step towards saving our natural resources and reducing gas emissions to the environment. Find ways to reduce water usage such as installing low flush toilets and water flow aerators on the sinks. In addition, invest in devices that are more energy efficient. Consider switching to LED lights as they use less electricity as compared to fluorescent bulbs. It is also important to encourage everyone to switch off lights and devices when they are not in use.
– Leverage natural energy/lighting
No fossils are required to burn to produce natural energy, which makes it the perfect option when it comes to being eco-friendly. You can switch to solar for your energy supply. Besides being green, you can enjoy great subsidies from government programs. Additionally, install more windows to let in as much natural lighting as possible.
– Foster a paperless environment
Saving paper in your coworking hub saves more trees than you can think of. The good thing is that the world is going digital, so it is easier to ditch the papers. Encourage people to use cloud services to share files. You also don’t have to print notices, emailing them is eco-friendly.
– Encourage recycling and reusing
Discourage the use of single-use plastics by providing reusable kitchenware in the premises. It is also good to have systematic waste disposal where waste is grouped for proper disposal and recycling.
– Use eco-friendly products
Anytime you need to renovate your coworking space, choose sustainable materials that use less energy to produce. You can choose bamboo for wood flooring or tiles rather than carpeting the floor. If you would rather carpet, opt for recycled options.
Conclusion
The world is making major strides in caring for the environment. Encouraging sustainability at your coworking space is a step towards the greater good. Moreover, it can benefit your business in a great manner. Take every opportunity that you get to foster an environment where sustainability is the way of living. Find ways such as listed above to make your hub a green working space where people can thrive and be healthier.
