How to make your home office into a green space

Over the past 18 months, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has forced people to become confined to their home. Included in this was the implementation of people working from home, which forced many to find an appropriate or makeshift office space somewhere in their property. 

Now that most people have adapted to working from home, home office design has become increasingly popular. And perhaps it’s time to think of ways to improve our office space to make it greener (and we don’t mean in colour!), and have a more sustainable and environmentally friendly working space. We Buy Any House have come up with a practical guide on how to have a green office space, from reasons it can be beneficial to ways you can begin implementing sustainable features in your office.

How to have a more sustainable home office?

1. Choose sustainable office supplies

Buying sustainable office supplies is a great way to be friendly to the environment. Consider supplies that have the least environment-damaging properties. Bamboo pens and recycled paper are a great place to start as they’re made using recycled materials, therefore you are reducing your carbon footprint and being kinder to the environment.

2. Indoor plants

Indoor plants are an essential when creating a sustainable office space. Small office spaces often seal in air and can bring in ten times more pollutants than the air outside. By adding plants to your office (whether that’s desk plants or huge floor plants) you can remove harmful pollutants from the room and stabilize humidity levels, in addition to purifying the air.

3. Natural light

Spending most of your time inside an office can result in your monthly bills skyrocketing. All the electricity that is being used by appliances such as computers, chargers and desk lights consume a large amount of energy. To combat this, try to implement as much natural light into your office space. Alternatively, opting to install motion-activated lighting or energy saving lightbulbs is a great option.

4. Green cleaning products

To keep your office a green and sustainable space, you should consider cleaning with green products. By doing this, you will be improving your office hygiene habits. Opting to use non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products ensures that chemicals such as phthalates and formaldehyde don’t ruin your eco-friendly space.

5. Go paperless

A factor that is small but will make a huge difference is opting to go paperless. Not only is it better in terms of data protection, but it will contribute massively to your eco-friendly office space. Whether it comes to printing, sending invoices or general paperwork, opting to go digital and using digital communication will reduce your carbon footprint.

Why you should have a sustainable home office?

1. Motivation

Studies have shown that adding plants to an office not only add a splash of colour to your office space but are also great for personal efficiency.  As plants improve air quality, they also encourage workers to be more motivated and improve work satisfaction.

2. Cognitive thinking

Sustainable offices are also said to boost cognitive thinking, from improvements in crisis response, information usage and strategy.

3. Health benefits

As a green office has better air quality, not only will you feel more motivated to work, but it also has proven health benefits. Studies have shown green offices can reduce dust levels by as much as 20%, which is great for better breathing.