Feeling the guilt of contributing to global climate change and wanting a really easy way to do a bit for the planet? For once, you might get away with being lazy. Consider the simple act of going to work. Unless you’re fortunate enough to live within walking or cycling distance of your job, you are probably either driving your own vehicle or reliant on public transport.
Alas, whatever method of mechanized travel you rely on, your personal carbon footprint will grow. Cars and buses belt out fumes onto the atmosphere from their exhausts. Meanwhile, while the coal devouring monster locomotives of the past have been replaced with electric and diesel trains, these too have an impact on the atmosphere.
Pure electric powered vehicles still have an impact as the electricity used to charge their batteries all too often comes from fossil-fuel spewing power stations. And even if you plug your eco-friendly automobile directly into a solar panel, you *still* have an impact by the sheer industry required to dig up the metals and manufacture your vehicle. So there's no getting out of it that way.
The Planet Saving Benefits of Sitting on Your Rump.
According to one calculator provided by carbonify.com, an average size car driving a mere 100 miles a month (say 2.5 miles to and from work) can put out 660 kg in carbon dioxide in a single year. Of course, most people with cars will typically drive much further than that, meaning it is more than likely that a typical vehicle will emit several times its own weight in greenhouse gases in a single year. Note that we’re not even talking about other gases that get produced in the combustion process.
By comparison, if you were to avoid the daily commute by say, telecommuting, you’ll drastically cut down on the carbon emissions from travel by many tons per year. Now true, to be pedantic you will still be using electricity running your computer, making your phone calls, running the coffee machine etc. but typically you would be doing these things at work anyway.
And Some Other Benefits
Lets not forget the other key benefits to you for working from home. Since you don’t have to travel to or from work, this is a saving of precious time allowing you to do more with your days rather than getting stuck in traffic leaving in the evenings. And, despite the lowering in the cost of oil following geo-political incidents over the past few years, the oil companies are less than quick to pass any savings on to their customers.
Whether it’s work or study, choosing to do it from home gives you the benefit of helping yourself and the planet together in a nice lazy manner.
