Virtual Office Featured Article

Virtual Office: Green is a Go at Home, but Not in the Workplace

April 17, 2013
By Nick Maier, SVP

TeamViewer, a proprietary computer software package for remote control, desktop sharing, online meetings, Web conferencing and file transfer between computers, released the findings of its Telecommuting for Earth report. Inspired by the upcoming Earth Day, the survey, conducted online by uSamp, researched 500 American adult office workers to determine the environmental impact of working from home. 


Perhaps not surprisingly, the study found that most Americans are more conscious and proactive about steps they take to protect the environment at home than they are at work. Hey, when you're footing the electric bill and stocking up on the ink and printing paper yourself, you're probably going to be more conservative if only for your wallet's sake.

The study found that when working at home, 74 percent of people turn off lights when they leave a room. Sixty percent make their own lunch, which cuts down on the plastics of to-go services. 56 percent of home workers are mindful of heat and air-conditioning, keeping both at a minimum. 53 percent print minimally, and 50 percent power down their computers at night. Recycling is practiced among 39 percent of those surveyed, while 34 percent abstain from bottled water (Hello, Brita Water Filter!).

Women are more likely than men to demonstrate this conscientious behavior in all categories. 59 percent of gals versus 47 percent of men print minimally, while 63-percent keep heat and AC usage low versus 49 percent of men. 40 percent of females flick off the lights while only 28 percent of men do. 41 percent of women recycle, versus the 37 percent of men. 51 percent of ladies versus 49 percent of men power down computers at night, and 61 percent of women make their own lunch, while 59 percent of men do.

Just about everyone polled in the study (97 percent) claim to use fewer resources at home.

One of the most important cut-downs is in the paper department. 31 percent of people surveyed say they use less printer paper when they work from home – something the planet could greatly benefit from.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that we use about 71 million tons of paper every year. 

Resources reduced results in money saved. The study showed that 42 percent of telecommuters save $1 - $20; 38 percent say they save $21 - $40; 19 percent say they save more than $40, and six-percent say they save in excess of $80 per day when they're working from home as opposed to the office.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer may want to rethink that new law banning telecommuting...


Nick Maier is senior vice president of RedSky (News - Alert) Technologies (www.redskyE911.com).

Edited by Rich Steeves

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