Coworking is already, by nature, a sustainable idea. It’s part of the shared economy – which is part of the larger sustainability platform. By sharing and not duplicating resources, coworkers are quite eco-friendly just by going to work. But what if coworking spaces and members started doing more. Maybe the coworking movement can extend it’s green-mindedness to other on-going practices.
I’d like to propose an Unconferece Session at GCUC to explore ideas for how coworking spaces can up the ante and adopt new practices that continue the march toward greater sustainability. I’m by no means a sustainability expert (but we have 3 – 4 members at Mojo Coworking who are). I think a solid starting point would be to come up with a Coworking Sustainability Checklist and corresponding “recognitions” that would be awarded to coworking spaces for various levels of compliance.
LED lighting? Low water toilets? FSC Certified paper products, urban gardens, recycling and composting, solar panels, easy public transportation, bike racks, electric car charging stations, high efficiency appliances, etc. are all top of mind for increasing sustainability, but there are most certainly many others. Perhaps we could nominate enviro-coworkers from a number of spaces across the country to begin thinking about this now and have them present at GCUC in March.
By Craig McAnsh of Mojo Coworking.