How "green" is telecommuting?
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This morning, I noticed a request in my e-mail from HARO, a newsletter I subscribe to that lists press inquiries from reporters working on stories. One of the queries was for folks to discuss the "green" benefits of telecommuting, to which my initial thought, posted to twitter and Facebook, was: "well is that the only reason to do it?"
At the zen kitchen, we all telecommute in some form or another. Leah and Laura both work from home offices, while I work from my home office on Monday and Friday with the intern and Tuesday through Thursday commute into WorkBar in Boston. There are benefits and drawbacks to both approaches; for one, many folks I know feel like they get more done at home. They're less distracted, don't have to worry about meetings and other stuff, and can work through stuff in a familiar place. And of course, it helps to have less overhead cost associated with having a physical office space or a daily commute into work.
For myself, I find that I'm actually more distracted at home, and since I'm very social by nature, I also find that I need people around me, even if they're not my coworkers/colleagues, to function at my best. So commuting into WorkBar three days a week gives me access to office space, conference rooms, and coworkers that I can get and share resources with - without much less overhead than a physical office space, and without the loneliness and lack of work/life separation that I often felt working from home all day.
Ultimately, both approaches can work; I just don't think that "green" is the reason to choose one over the other. For me, it's more about knowing how you work best, and choosing which will accommodate that.