I am a virtual worker and pretty much have been since 2000.  I have created a great working environment for the environment.  I conserve energy by not turning on the lights (helps that the sun shines in all day long), I recycle everything (even though Miami doesn’t), pretty much eat everything from home during the day, drink filtered water instead of bottled (however, I do give guests and clients bottled water), my cleaning products are toxin-free, I use towels & sponges to clean-up most things instead of paper products, and I re-use paper for notes, test prints and other miscellaneous stuff (I cram a lot of things on one sheet of paper).

I was thinking back as to how I became so environmentally conscious and it started with a news segment I saw when I first moved to New York about how much water is wasted when use our toilet as a garbage can.  It really is scary when you add it up and what’s ridiculous is that I bet that in 90% of bathrooms, the garbage can is right next to the toilet – Smarten up!

Virtual offices are becoming more achievable since the internet and cell phones laid the groundwork.  When working in a corporate office we tend to forget the little things because in our minds it’s technically “not ours”.  So we are more prone to toss it, shred it, waste it, re-do it a ton times with ton of supplies.

So I challenge those who work in Corporate America to operate in your office as if it were your home.  You may surprise how easy it is and hopefully start a trend which could ultimately cut costs for your company.

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Yes, my Weigh In is back.  Things have been a bit hectic because we are about to launch our complete site and transition out this blog site (the blogs will be featured on the complete site).Fitness: I have been inconsistent with working out.  One week I’ll put in 1 -3 workouts and others I’ll do 7 – 9 workouts.  I had to stop taking the Weight Lifting class because my knees and ankles could not take it.  Plus, I started bulking up and I am not going for the Body Builder look.

Nutrition: Same with eating – all over the map.

• Breakfast: sliced apples w/almond butter or plain oatmeal with a TBSP of honey.
• Lunch: Veggie Sandwiches on Flax Seed Bread; Mixed Veggie Salad; Egg White Omelets, Taco’s, Chips & Salsa; Almond Butter & Fruit Spread Sandwich
• Dinner: Baked salmon w/brown rice; ramen noodles w/fresh spinach; frozen organic pizza; Meatballs; Chicken Parm w/pasta; Sushi; nothing
• Snacks: Almond, banana, soy shake; banana, flax seed, yogurt shake; natural peanut butter & natural fruit spread on water crackers, frozen organic pizza; potato chips; soy fruit bar; ice cream; baby dill pickles; cinnamon pita chips; all natural chocolate chip cookies

Anti-Aging: I went boating this past weekend and forgot to re-apply sun block on my face and scorched my face.

Personal Growth: Spending more time meditating and thinking of the big picture of my goals. I’ve been kind of distance with my circle of friends because I’m overwhelming with work.

Health: My stress levels are higher than normal which is making my stomach feel like an acid pool.

Environment: This week’s feature covered a good portion of my Enviro Life, but I’d like to add that I also speak my mind on environmental issues when I see people in my wasting something or overusing things.

Tiffany Houser
The Balance Group

Claudia Forestieri, 33, a writer and producer, does not drive to work.

“A few years ago I used to live two hours away from work and spend three to four hours driving everyday,” says the founder of ClaudiaWrites.com. “I always felt like I was harming the environment and losing a lot of precious time.”

A desk, Outlook and an Internet connection are Forestieri’s only tools for work, and all are readily available 24-7 in her apartment, thus saving our melting planet from another source of CO2. She is just one of many around the world.

According to a 2004 American Interactive Consumer Survey conducted by The Dieringer Research Group, the number of employed Americans who performed any kind of work from home, with a frequency range from as little as 1 day a year to full time, grew from 41.3 million in 2003 to 44.4 million in 2004, a 7.5% growth rate.

Moreover, The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications breaks down the CO2 emissions prevented:

• Telework: 1,290 thousand tons
• Paper reduction by the use of LAN: 530 thousand tons
• Internet:  500 thousand tons
• Electronic publishing,electronic newspapers: 250 thousand tons
• Correspondence courses: 30 thousand tons

The list doesn’t even mention the tons of business lunch styrofoam packaging saved by virtual workers. “When I worked in an office, I would order lunch and it came in all these packages, and there was no way to recycle,” Forestieri says. “At home I make my food.”

But when the writer needs a human connection, she walks a couple of blocks to nearby restaurants and cafes, or drives her Volkswagen Beetle to Panera Bakery, which always has free WiFi.

The key to this 24-7 hyper-connectivity is knowing when to disconnect.

Ben Scalise, 28, is a web designer who has found balance in his new virtual work schedule. Six months ago he traded two hours commute time to his city’s financial district for intermittent breaks and travel in between his heavy computer work.

“It’s really important to have a positive outlook throughout the day,” he says, thinking about all the angry people he saw while driving on the Interstate. “If you’re pissed off going to work, you’re gong to do pissed off work.”

His new office is everywhere: in a kayak, on the beach, his parents’ house in Washington, D.C. and his new apartment on South Beach. And he hasn’t even purchased a Blackberry, which he admits would be helpful, but doesn’t think it is necessary.

“I love interaction and talking to people and finding out what they’re all about,” said the founder of RecycleMySite.com. “As a byproduct, business comes out of conversation.”

Work and life just naturally weave for him, although he has trained himself on having strong organizational skills to manage all the work and with sleep, sun and relaxation.

“I try to get outside as much as possible — enough to remember that I’m still human.”

Tell us: Do you work virtually to unclog the roads, your mind and the ozone layer?

by Tony Thomas

Pollution in America is not getting any better.  We constantly have to remind people not to litter or abuse the atmosphere with toxins.  Car-pooling is a great way of conserving energy and lowering pollution, but we can do more to help with this crisis.

One solution is putting a stop to smoking. Not only is it harmful to your health, but it pollutes the atmosphere and creates smog.

So here is my thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette a day and work your way up until you progressively quit. The most dangerous thing about pollution is being in contact with it.
If you cannot exercise in a smog-free environment, at least try and avoid smoke-filled rooms, highway traffic areas, breathing in fumes and exercising near busy congested areas.

Exercise outside when the smog rating is at its lowest.  Exercise indoors where air quality tends to be better. If your job or fitness center is not that far away, ride your bicycle instead of driving to lower exhaust pollution and to improve your health.
 

by Olga El

 Someone recently brought to my attention that An Inconvenient Truth star Al Gore had been criticized for the hypocritical use of his CO2 emitting, private jet. This random fact is not really surprising and seems to serve more as a distraction from the larger issue of the widespread pollution and exploitation of our planet. Just because Al Gore made a movie about global warming does not mean he is a role model for how to be CO2 free. This criticism does bring up an interesting point, however, inadvertently—many people can contribute to global environmental problems just by going about their daily lives. For example, driving to work every day contributes significantly to CO2 emissions.

Though many of my peers are aware of the issues presented in the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, I don’t know how many of us are consciously taking any drastic measures to be more environmentally friendly. Interestingly enough though, as art students living in New York City many of the resources we use to go about our daily lives are not extremely detrimental to the environment.

Most of us do not own cars (it is a hassle for anyone living in the city to own one. Many drivers in the city don’t actually live here). CO2-free mass transit is readily available and widely used in the form of electric buses, trains, and the subway system. Bike riding and walking are pollution-free modes of transportation that are pretty popular among students my age though it is common to find people of all ages riding and walking because its convenient and FREE. I also do not know of any of us who work in factories or burn coal regularly (though the increasing cool factor of smoking might become an issue).

It seems ironic that a place like New York City makes you think of all kinds of pollution—noise pollution, light pollution, litter, and CO2 spewing vehicles virtually piled on top of each other in traffic jams. However, in the city, we also have easier access to many forms of holistic and environment-friendly ways of living from mass transit to organic food chains and farmer’s markets to the hundreds of studios, workshops, and seminars focused on wellness and conscious living.

In a lot of ways, being a student in the city generally doesn’t require us to put much more stress on the environment in the way of pollution. Our needs for transportation, personal upkeep, and fun can be met without it.

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