Healthy People, Healthy Planet: At Work

So far in the ‘Healthy People, Healthy Planet’ series we’ve covered where you live and what you eat.

Now it’s time to take a look at the connection between healthy people and a healthy planet in your work environment – the place we spend most of our waking hours.

A greener workplace is better for both you and the planet.

Today’s Focus: Where you Work

Indoor Air Quality is a priority in green buildings for several reasons – it makes people healthier, happier and more productive. This is as true at home as it is in school or at work. Whether or not you work in an LEED-certified green building, you can implement some of the principles used to create a healthier work environment that also benefits the environment. For instance, inviting natural daylight, creating green outdoor space and using some healthy ideas in the lunchroom. These small steps will save energy, create a more pleasant work place and keep you healthier.

Natural Daylighting

Designing offices to utilize natural daylight helps cut down on the need for artificial lighting. This has proven to increase worker productivity and reduces the building’s energy load. Less artificial lighting also means less heat and less strain on HVAC systems, further reducing overall energy load.

In some municipalities in Europe, offices are required to have views to the outdoors and access to natural light. This is done through small building design and the use of interior courtyards. If your office is a cubicle-locked island isolated from natural daylight, talk to your boss about the benefits a little rearranging can do and let the sun shine with a little shift of the space. Better Bricks has a nice write up about the benefits of natural daylighting to help your argument at Productivity and Satisfaction: Daylight Makes the Difference.

A Little Green Space

A design theory called Human Centered Sustainable Design touts the benefits of creating spaces where people can connect to nature. Even small green spaces can calm blood pressure, decrease stress and help relax the mind for better concentration.

Offices are filled with man-made finishes, furnishings and noise – a far cry from a healthy natural environment. Because of this, offices especially need to provide a little escape into nature. It can be as simple as a bench under a tree or a picnic table where employees can sit outside for lunch and breaks. If your office is lacking in nearby outdoor amenities, talk to your boss about making a little green investment. The cost is minimal compared to the benefits. The up side, making a little more green space will not only make employees happier and healthier, it can help the planet.

Offices are often built with and surrounded by impervious surfaces which contribute to stormwater runoff and water pollution. A little green outdoor space will help soak up rainwater and help restore the natural hydrological cycle. Gardens work better than grass, which can be as bad as pavement. But kind of like rock-paper-scissors, grass sure beats pavement. Check out New York Restoration Project for a little urban transformation inspiration.

Just like Mom’s

Oh, the office kitchen. The last office I worked in had this terrible spread of pre-packaged snacks that were basically sodium bombs. Leave a dollar and your health is in your own hands kind of thing. In Healthy People, Healthy Planet: Eating Well, I talked about making and bringing your own food wherever you go to save calories, money and reduce takeout packaging.

Well even the most well-intended DIY luncher can succumb to the munchies, especially when it’s just sitting there spelling out your name with little sugar-coated morsels. Talk to your office manager about some healthier supplies. There’s likely a local farmer who’d be psyched to organize a lunchroom lineup. If you’ve already got a snack supplier, approach them about alternatives that are organic, local and healthier.

Same goes for drinks, especially coffee. Coffee is the second most traded commodity on the planet next to oil. Go for organic and support farmers direct to keep it socially responsible. You can order Costa Rican blends direct from the people that grow the beans here, delicious and ultimate fair trade.

More:

• USGBC LEED Green Building
• After the Storm: Stormwater Runoff at US EPA
• Rain Garden Network
• Community AgroEcology Network
• Community Supported Agriculture USDA
• Local Harvest CSA