Working From Home

A reader asks the Green Guide:

How much of my carbon footprint and my company's carbon footprint can I reduce by working at home, instead of going into the office? My company is starting a green program and wants suggestions. This is mine, and I'd like some statistics to share.

The Green Guide responds:

Who doesn't want a greener office? You spend so much time and effort in reducing your own carbon footprint that it's only logical to turn your attentions to the next place you spend so much of your life.

The biggest impact working from home can have is on transportation. The average commute to work in the U.S. is 12 miles, and each gallon of gas burned emits 25.3 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2). For an efficient car, which might average 25 miles per gallon, this would add up to 25 pounds for a round-trip commute. For a guzzler, you could be spewing 50 pounds per day. If you eliminated one trip per week, you'd save between 1,316 and 2,600 pounds per year-multiply that by the number of people in your company, and the overall emissions reduction could be huge.

When you start looking at the energy savings in office buildings, the numbers get less impressive, but depending on how often you work from home, the figures can really add up. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) commissioned a study in 2007 on the energy-savings associated with telecommuting, and they found that a single telecommuter could reduce overall energy consumption by 16 kilowatt-hours (kWh) every day he or she works from home. Likewise, another 2002 report by the World Wildlife Fund found that telecommuters could save about 3,000 kWh per person per year, if companies were able to shrink their office space to accommodate a smaller in-house staff.

And it probably goes without saying that telecommuting isn't bad for your wallet either: The CEA study calculated that telecommuters could save an average of 1.4 gallons of gas every day. With gas prices shooting above $4 a gallon now, that's almost $6 a day, cash in hand.

Depending on the reaction you get from the powers-that-be at your company, though, it may be more feasible to push for changes in the office building. Buy your managers and building owners copies of National Geographic Book's new True Green @ Work, and take these suggestions to your next green meeting: