Working From Home: The Green Commute

There are so many good reasons to start a home business. You have control over your hours, your work environment and pretty much everything else in your daily work day. In addition to allowing you to be your own boss, home businesses have an inherently green side that comes with many environmental benefits.

Here at Greener Assets we look at everything through a green lens – all business including home businesses. This post was inspired by Mary Emma Allen who covers the home business front over at HomeBizNotes. Filled with fresh ideas, motivating posts and a world of resources, her blog is a must read for anyone in or heading into a home business adventure. So, after my daily visit to HomeBizNotes I got to thinking about the the green side of home business.

One of the big eco-benefits of working out of your home is the commute. Americans spend billions of hours and billions of gallons of gas every year to travel between office and home. As a home business owner you’ve got your resources condensed under one roof which greatly reduces your ecological footprint.

Granted many home businesses require travel for deliveries, pickup, client meetings and more. Here’s a few tips to help keep the travel green for your home business:

• Keep your business vehicle well maintained and the tires properly inflated to maximized fuel efficiency.
• Avoid storing stuff in your business vehicle. Any extra weight will reduce fuel efficiency so only load up when it’s necessary.
• Plan ahead to consolidate errands into one run rather than several sporadic trips.
• Consider walking or biking whenever possible. I envy people who’s business travels by bike and think it’s a genius business strategy.
• Consider sharing a car with programs like Flexcar or Zipcar. Annual costs are a fraction of full-time car ownership and fuel-efficient vehicles are readily available in many municipalities.
• Encourage participants in your business to carpool, bike or walk whenever possible. Avoiding the solo transit means more time for collective brainstorming and nothing beats a little fresh air to get the creativity flowing.

These are simple ideas but they can make a big difference, both for the planet and your bottom line. Implementing green ideas in your home business strategy will save money, increase efficiency and show that you are a future-thinking business leader with an eye on sustainability.