Eco sustainable remote work setup - how to?

Thinking eco when fitting your remote workspace? We´ll tell you how

Last time we addressed the current post-pandemic remote work environment and its need for agile working conditions. This transition has been resulting in a societal movement towards the adoption of the remote work philosophy. It quickly became the 2021 golden standard for most corporates and SMBs. Now the dust has settled, it's time to take a hard look at our remote work setup. So, where shall we begin?    

Sustainable, biodegradable, upgradable, energy-smart  

Let's start with the most obvious - your PC/ laptop. There are a few options that should be explored. When did you purchase your device? Was it recently? Did you think about its product life and if you can rebuild/upgrade? Or you just bought it on a whim because of the great performance and excellent processor? 

If you fall into the category of recently bought satisfied customers, there are a few areas that you can check out to support the eco work approach:

• Find out if the laptop is repairable in the future thus extending its table life 
• Look if the laptop has a replaceable battery, RAM and hard drive
• Check if the device is TCO certified - meaning it has a lower environmental impact overall its lifespan (from production to disposal)
• Read the manufacturer annual sustainability report to see the level of commitment producers take 
• Reduce the brightness on your monitor considerably 
• Use power-saving options such as Hibernate and Standby Mode or alternatively shut down your PC completely after you´re done for the day -  A laptop computer when turning off uses 3 watts; when it is idle, it uses 15-25 watts. 

For the new buyers, it's an excellent time to act on our recently discovered eco-sustainable lifestyle. And the choice is vast … From cool biodegradable materials to  long-run energy-saving machines, refurbished PCs to fashionable eco accessories. When thinking of refurbished PCs, you can hit ledgo.sk, refurbished.sk or furbify.sk and the choice is endless.

For the quirky ones, we would like to draw your attention to Pentaform Abacus - a fully biodegradable PC that is built in an all-in-one keyboard. It has everything you wish for in a standard PC including a full set up of USB Ports, HDMI as well as VGA output, a built-in speaker, an integrated track-pad, and installed Windows 10. The real bonus comes from its production. Made out of an entirely biodegradable polymer that will fully dissolve into the soil and results in 0 environmental impact! All you need is a monitor to hook it into and you´re ready to go!
Sounds too good to be true, right? 

I´ve got my laptop sorted, what's next?

360-degree eco remote setup makes the difference. Once you´ve got through the plethora of info regarding the laptops/PC, you need to think of the other parts. Monitors are a red flag for their energy consumption. If you go down the road of using them (not keen on laptops) please consider the green options such as Philips Sustainable Displays.  These monitors have a Light and PowerSensor that senses movement and ambient light and adjusts screen brightness accordingly. Another lovely feature is the Zero Power Switch - when flicking the 0 watt hard switch you can completely cut off your monitor from AC power, resulting in zero power consumption. All these small things add up to your complete home eco transformation. 

What about other accessories?

To complete your remote eco renaissance setup, we´ve selected some nice additional accessories ideas:

• Adjustable laptop Bamboo Table 
• Bamboo handmade keyboard and mouse - durable and extremely eco friendly 
• Smart Plug Wifi Outlet - monitoring your power consumption so you can shave off the unnecessary electric waste 
• Laptop cases and sleeves made from recycled textiles or cork - excellent option is Sobi  
• If you can not live without the bubbles in your water, then the most obvious choice is Soda Stream - getting rid of all unnecessary plastic packaging

Foto: Sobi.eco (kredit Lucia Hrapkova)

Which one is your favourite?

Finish off your remote setup with second-hand office furniture that you can get on a flea market or digital marketplace. Even small things such as using rechargeable AA/AAA batteries can start your eco remote journey. Add a fair few plants to create more oxygen and use the natural light as much as possible. Simple things such as choosing a space with maximum natural light, or choosing the greenest form of artificial light go a long way. 

To sum it up, as tech is moving extremely fast, so should sustainable ideas that support it. It all starts from us, on an individual level where we accept the fact that with progress comes a responsibility. Responsibility for our future, greener eco future that next generations can lean on.