Where you live is a good place to start looking at sustainability in our lives, in more ways than one. The closer you live to where you work the less distance you have to commute. One of the reasons New York City is actually a pretty green city is that so many people live in small apartments and walk or use public transit to get around. Many people in large metropolitan areas with good transit systems do not own automobiles. If they need to go somewhere they want to drive to, they rent a car.
Many of the people reading this have a home office. The more you work there rather than commuting to another workplace, the less you are commuting. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to work exclusively out o our homes.
That means no commuting costs. Not owning a vehicle not only lessens the release of greenhouse gases it saves the expense of insurance, car payments, gasoline. One might speculate that it would also decrease the number of vehicle accidents and their associated costs.
Indirect savings might include removing the cost of a gym membership since you now walk and bike so much. Hopefully, that will result in a health increase as well meaning less money spent on doctors and medicines.
Live/work spaces are making a well deserved comeback. This is not a new idea-ask your grandparents. Not so long ago, it was common for a family to live behind or above their place of business. More businesses were small and family run then. The family farm really was where the family lived. The merchant, doctor or lawyer lived above, behind or next to his place of business. The church rectory is one of the few remnants of this practice. Perhaps the current downtown revitalization projects in many places and the growing popularity of live/work spaces will help revive the practice.
This is not a plea for a return to the old days. It is a gesture toward hope. Hope that we will be able to use our modern technologies and creativity to forge a balance between our runaway infatuation with efficiency and productivity and our ability to live a less frenetic, more creative life in which we can be as involved with friends and family as we have become with work and productivity.
Deb - That is a great wish, people should get back to the more important things such as finding quality time for friends and family. Having done the long commute, I really appreciate using technology to help me maintain a home office so I could achieve a balance.
I wish my office was closer to where I live, however the owner/manager of that office won't switch with me!! I told him he was a spoilsport!!
Well, Deb. You got me thinking.
I live out in the country on 30 acres where we can't see another house from our home, and I love it. Our fields and trees are out there sucking in tons of carbon dioxide and pumping out tons of oxygen, but, you're right - doing anything here means getting in the car and going somewhere, so maybe your lifestyle actually leaves less of a footprint. I don't know.
Sorry, though, I don't think I could ever trade.
Deb, I have virtually quit going into my office, even though it is only 2.36 miles from my home and working almost exclusively from y home office. I have only been to the office 2 times in 3 months. I submit as many documents as possible by email or fax. I live within 2-2 2/3 miles of all major shopping and my church, and Iminimize shopping. The only major driving I do is showing property, or visiting parents who live about 10 miles away. At one time I drove over 500 miles a week, but moved to more central location (and much smaller home) approximately 3 years ago. That along with working more from home has reduced my driving to an average of less than 1000 miles per month including several out of town trips. There no telling how many hours of time I have regained from driving time and sitting in traffic.
Bob, there is nothing wrong with living in the country as long as you plan for it! How much of a carbon footprint you leave depends on a lot of variables. You have a lot more trees out there; there is a difference between driving a fuel efficient vehicle and a gas guzzler and between how often you make the trip into town. You can work from home just about anywhere these days if you have a phone and a computer so I think it is just a matter of being conscious about the way you use the resources that you do use.
June, not nice of him at all! I guess he likes being close to the office too.
Jenifer, It is very easy to lose a sense of balance in this business so I'm glad to hear you use technology to help you get balance rather than let it get you even more immersed in work.