Is Remote Work Really The Most Sustainable Working Option?

Julie Starr • May 21, 2024

On the surface, remote working setups can seem like a great sustainable option. After all, full-time remote workers reduce emissions by around 52% thanks to the removal of commutes and office energy consumption. 


But things aren’t always as good as they seem. While there are undeniable sustainability benefits to remote arrangements, there are also clear downsides, such as the fact that weekday residential electricity usage increases by between 20-30%. This is true of all remote workers on your books, compared with one office which, while admittedly producing more output, would work for everyone. 


When you consider all of this, remote work doesn’t look quite so sustainable. But it could be, and we’re going to consider a few simple ways you could turn remote work into the most sustainable working solution for your company. 


Make Remote Work More Efficient

Many remote workers end up carrying on way past the typical 9-5, meaning that individual energy outputs can increase. By making remote work more efficient, you can reduce the risk of employees working late, and therefore save on energy outputs overall.


Luckily, there are now plenty of tools out there that can help you achieve this goal. Since the pandemic, communication tools like Zoom and Windows Teams have especially taken the fore and can make it easier for you to ensure correct delegations, and team meetings that reduce individual workflows. It’s also possible to simplify the sharing of crucial files using a virtual data room like Share Vault, which ensures even remote employees can access files seamlessly without needing to wait around past traditional working hours. All of which will help to reduce any residential energy increases caused by a remote switch. 


Provide Energy Efficient Devices

In the office, you have control over the devices your employees use, meaning that you can enhance sustainability by simply considering things like device outputs and renewable energy sources. It can feel like you lose control over this when employees start working out of the office, but that needn’t be the case. 


Providing the most energy-efficient laptops for your team might seem like a steep expense, but it’s a great idea for a company with sustainable values. This way, you can continue to take pride in your green working methods, without the risk that one employee’s decades-old computer will drag your whole reputation down. 


Incorporate Hybrid Working

For many employers, hybrid working looks like one of the best sustainability options. This setup, which pairs in-office operations with remote arrangements, can still benefit from reduced commuter emissions, while reducing the amount of energy your employees use at home. Admittedly, you’ll negate any potential benefits if your office is continually open to facilitate hybrid work. But, if you shut your office on days where employees work remotely, and choose to use sustainable, renewable energy when your office is functional, this could be the ideal sustainability middle ground. 


Remote work undeniably holds the power to be a more sustainable working choice. Utilize its potential by putting these steps in place. 

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.