Hello friends!
How are you doing in these crazy Corona-infested times?
Are you #SocialDistancing and #FlattenTheCurve -ing? Is your life completely upside down or is it more like mine: hasn’t really changed at all and left me wondering if I’m an antisocial weirdo. I Shop Stopped a long time ago, so I didn’t notice when all the shops closed. I work outside in the fields or abandoned buildings where I don’t see people often. I get my food from Foodsharing collectives and dumpsters so I don’t even have to queue outside supermarkets. Except for toilet paper of course.
… I just really miss spending time with my friends!
But there are some bight sides to the situation: We are being forced to accidentally be more earth-friendly. I really hope some crisis-related behavioral changes stick beyond our time in social isolation. So I built one into the monthly challenges:
This Month, and hopefully in the future, I challenge you to hold your business- / work-meetings digitally!
A New York Times cartoon floated across my social media the other day, depicting a man in his home office, looking defeated. The caption reads: “All those meetings really could have been emails.”
Imagine how much emissions can be saved if people work from home where possible, using Trello, Nextcloud and Mattermost or Slack for team work (or solo) projects and hold meetings through applications like Zoom, Jitsi or Skype!
- No more business trips to china. Approximately 90 kg CO2 is emitted per passenger, per hour in an aircraft. If your aim was to be a “carbon neutral” human, your annual budget is 1t, so just 1000kg CO2.
- Less office space needed = more living space & less need for clearing land.
- You can spend less time commuting through traffic (or public transport! High five, I mean elbow bump, if that’s you) and more time with your family or doing things you love.
Obviously, not every boss is going to send all their employees into home office full time and for ever. But maybe mention it to them when you have the chance? Maybe they can move things that direction? You could mention how much money the company would save in lighting and heating, if they downsized their office buildings.
…I’m not a digital whiz by the way. The applications I listed above are just a list of tools I use and find helpful instead of time wasting. But I’m sure there are plenty of computer related blogs who can help you find your perfect tools for digital business. One more green tip on this topic though:
Instead of Google, make Ecosia your default search engine in your browser. That way, you can plant trees by doing nothing more than clicking the search button.
Before I close, I need to say one more thing: Don’t digitize your friendships (if you live in the same area). We need human contact like nothing else for our mental health! As soon as this lock down is over, go see your friends in person and give them a big, long hug!
*I do not receive any kind of reimbursement for mentioning any of the above links or 3rd parties.
*Cover image by Pexels via Pixabay (edited); last image by Gabriela Palai via Pexels.