As climate change continues to become a growing concern that brings more widespread consequences, leading authorities such as governments and enterprises are pushing for greater sustainability practices to combat its accelerating pace. This includes large-scale initiatives such as switching to more eco-friendly energy sources like nuclear, wind, and solar and banning single-use plastics and other harmful pollutants.
The push for businesses big and small to better their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives is also helping in the fight against climate change. With it, the rise of coworking spaces may well play a critical role in such efforts since modern coworking offices naturally come with sustainable features. A coworking space is a furnished, productivity-conducive office environment where entrepreneurs, freelancers, and regular employees can share together to accomplish their work. Read on to learn more about how a coworking arrangement functions and the environmental benefits they bring.
Reduction in carbon footprint
A carbon footprint is the total emissions of greenhouse gasses produced from the manufacturing, usage, and end-of-life of various products and services. These gasses mainly include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and others which trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere and cause global warming. One of the greatest contributors to an individual’s carbon footprint is their transportation activities.
Whether one uses a personal vehicle or public transportation, the carbon dioxide emissions from commuting daily all add up in the bigger picture. Having most, if not all, of a company’s employees travelling to work only exacerbates this problem. By being flexible and accessible in both downtown areas and residential areas, coworking spaces give users options to adopt more green transportation modes, such as walking or biking.
With the hybrid working model slowly becoming the norm, widespread adoption of coworking spaces can have a potentially significant impact on reducing the overall workforce’s carbon footprint.
Greater energy efficiency
Energy usage is another key component of carbon footprint. Although most companies today are doing what they can to reduce their energy consumption, running various systems in disparate workplaces still does not compare to sharing a coworking space. For starters, using just one or two HVAC units in a single office location offers greater energy efficiency than having multiple ones in various branches.
Energy usage in this context is not just for work; recreational areas in coworking spaces also feature high-efficiency appliances like televisions and coffee machines. Moreover, the typical open layout of coworking offices means incorporating natural lighting is the smarter choice that also saves on using artificial lighting to illuminate workstations.
Optimised resources
Coworking spaces often include various sharing features that can help optimise resources. For instance, many coworking spaces offer shared office equipment, including copiers, fax machines, and printers, which can be used by all members of the coworking space. This reduces the need for each member to purchase and maintain their own office equipment, which can be equally as expensive and time-consuming.
Additionally, coworking spaces often have shared meeting rooms, conference rooms, and other common areas that can be used for meetings and other events. This allows members to host clients and colleagues in a professional setting without having to rent or purchase their own meeting space. Furthermore, many co-working spaces foster a sense of community and collaboration among members – this often leads to the sharing of knowledge, resources, and connections. All in all, these sharing features can help coworking space members optimise their resources, which in turn allows them to save money and expand their professional networks simultaneously.
Conclusion
Minimising our environmental impact is more important than ever as global warming becomes a daily reality. Coworking spaces are designed to further that end through the methods discussed above, which reimagine the workplace to be more eco-friendly to combat climate change.
If your organisation is looking to do more to combat climate change, consider adopting coworking office spaces for rent with GreenHub today! Ideal for remote and hybrid working arrangements, our offices come fully furnished and feature a modern and green design philosophy conducive to your workforce’s mental well-being and productivity. Contact us today to get started or experience our spaces for yourself.