7 Ways to Make Your Coworking Space More Sustainable

The coronavirus pandemic doing the rounds these days has caused a lot of problems for many businesses. Since office attendance was affected due to enforced shutdowns people were forced to work from home or in co-working spaces where it was possible to implement more rigid safety standards than in a crowded office. Let us check out the many ways it is possible to make a coworking space more sustainable:

1. Choose the right co-working space

There are many different types of coworking spaces that are currently available today, and you will have to choose the best one as per your specific energy-saving needs. For example, you can go for a pre-constructed building made of recyclable material or you can install solar-powered panels and hot water geysers to not only heat your water supply but also light up your co-working spaces too. The list of eco-friendly choices is virtually endless and it is up to you to implement as many of them as you want.

2. Encourage people to conserve energy

Encourage the people in the co-working space to put their electronic items in power-saving mode as much as possible, especially when they are not in use. They should also shut them down whenever they leave work. It would be ideal if they unplug them also so that there is no residual current being used.

3. Pick an eco-friendly space beforehand

Before you decide to opt for a green coworking space, you should find such a space in the first place. It would be a good idea to only search for those buildings that are following or have a declared plan to follow green building standards. Many such buildings have been built from eco-friendly construction materials that have been recycled to ensure minimal environmental impact.

4. Power and water efficiency are very important

Energy-efficient products can be more expensive upfront. However, when you compare the costs with their less energy-efficient counterparts, you will see that you easily recover the expense amount in the long run. Apart from that, your whole coworking space will become much more eco-friendly too. From low flush toilets to energy saver bulbs; there are plenty of ways of installing energy-saving products. Best of all, it will decrease your monthly energy bills as well.

5. Say no to extra lighting

Unnecessary lighting is one of the worst ways of using power. Not only does it lead to extra energy bills but it is also a big drain on the local and eventually national grid. Instead of lighting spaces pointlessly when no one is around, it is a much better idea to just simply try to get the job done by using voice activation and motion sensor-equipped lights. This way, you will be able to conserve more energy and make your co-working space more sustainable. You should rely on natural lighting a whole lot more to light up the space. Windows and open doorways will allow both light and fresh air into your co-working space.

6. Promote recycling as much as you can

Recycling makes do with already constructed objects that are repurposed with minimal effort. Such articles require less energy and other resource consumption than freshly constructed stuff.  You can install recycling bins near every cubicle where different types of recycling items can be put to good use.

7. Ditch single-use items

You should try and get rid of single-use items and replace them with multi-use ones. For example, you can swap disposable cups and plates and stock your co-working space with plastic or glass crockery items. Apart from that, you can also try and get people to bring their lunches instead of ordering in. Not only will it be more beneficial for your health, but it will also mean fewer disposable items in the waste bin. You can also go for a paperless office and thereby save many trees from being needlessly cut down.

Conclusion

Your co-working spaces can be converted to energy-saving ones provided that you take the right steps. From eliminating paper and single-use crockery to going for solar power, there are plenty of ways of creating the ideal eco-friendly coworking space.