Coworking Spaces: The Sustainable Answer to Modern Business Offices

Julie Starr • June 28, 2024

Designing an office space that is both inviting and motivating while adhering to sustainable practices presents a significant challenge for businesses today. Traditional offices often struggle to balance style, functionality, and environmental responsibility, leading to compromises that can impact both employee satisfaction and the company's carbon footprint.

Creating a workspace that fosters creativity, collaboration, and productivity requires meticulous planning and considerable investment. Yet, achieving these goals sustainably adds another layer of complexity. Many businesses find themselves limited by budget constraints and lack the expertise to implement eco-friendly solutions effectively.

Luxury coworking spaces offer a promising solution. These spaces are designed with sustainability at their core, providing an environment that not only inspires and motivates but also reduces environmental impact. For businesses committed to sustainability, coworking spaces represent an ideal blend of luxury and responsibility.


Access to quality virtual tech equipment

For small businesses, the primary advantage of coworking spaces is the extensive access to virtual meeting technology and equipment. For example, many small businesses are forced to conduct face-to-face meetings with clients, from pitching to reporting because of lack of quality in-house virtual conference equipment, which can lead to high environmental consequences due to travel.

Coworking spaces, fully equipped with the latest virtual meeting technology, eliminate this issue. They allow businesses to conduct meetings and pitch to clients without needing to leave the office. This reduces the carbon footprint associated with travel and supports a more sustainable business model.


Investment in the “greenest” office furniture

Premium coworking spaces are known for their investment in high-quality furniture. Unlike traditional businesses that may only purchase what they can afford, these spaces make a conscious choice to use the best available furniture. This not only enhances the comfort and aesthetics of the workspace but also supports sustainability.

High-quality furniture is often made from sustainably sourced materials and is designed to last longer, reducing the need for frequent replacements. This longevity decreases waste and supports a more sustainable approach to office furnishings. The emphasis on luxury in coworking spaces ensures that the furniture is not only aesthetically pleasing but also environmentally friendly.


Designed for sustainable energy

Coworking spaces are meticulously designed with sustainable energy practices in mind. Attention to detail ensures that energy is not wasted. For instance, coworking buildings are often designed to retain heat in the winter and stay cool in the summer, minimizing the need for excessive heating and cooling.

Additionally, these spaces prioritize the use of natural light wherever possible, reducing the reliance on artificial lighting. When artificial light is necessary, energy-efficient bulbs are used to minimize energy consumption. This focus on sustainable energy practices ensures that coworking spaces are not only comfortable and inviting but also environmentally responsible.


In conclusion, luxury coworking spaces present a compelling solution for businesses seeking to combine sustainability with functionality and aesthetics. Coworking environments can address many of the sustainability challenges faced by traditional office spaces.

Beyond these benefits, high-quality coworking spaces offer additional advantages such as fostering a sense of community, providing networking opportunities, access to high-end tech, and offering flexible work arrangements. As businesses continue to prioritize sustainability, the appeal of luxury coworking spaces is likely to grow, offering a viable and sustainable alternative to conventional office settings.

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.