Telecommuting is looked to for solving problems with work-life balance, employee retention, and productivity. But it is also a way to reduce negative impacts on the environment. Here's how! Save 5 Stats About Telecommuting’s Environmental Impact By Brie Weiler Reynolds , Career Development Manager Pin 8 Share 9 Email 135 Shares

Remote work is looked to for solving problems with work-life balance, employee retention, and productivity. But is it also a way to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and to create a more sustainable way to work?

These five stats about telecommuting’s environmental impact say it is!

1. Commuting contributes greatly to the second-largest sources of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation, which includes vehicles used commuting to and from work, is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In 2017, 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States came from transportation. Said the EPA: “The largest sources of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions include passenger cars and light-duty trucks, including sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. These sources account for over half of the emissions from the transportation sector.”

2. Company offices are part of the fourth-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

Industry needs large amounts of office space, which negatively impacts the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “In 2017, direct greenhouse gas emissions from homes and businesses accounted for 11.6% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Total residential and commercial greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 have increased by 3.4% since 1990.”

3. Remote workers today have the same impact on air quality as planting a forest of trees.

People who are working from home in the United States right now avoid emitting 3.6 million tons of commuting-related greenhouse gasses annually. To replicate those results, it would take the planting 91 million trees to offset the same level of emissions, according to 2017 data from Global Workplace Analytics.

4. Remote work helps people avoid the personal health risks from environmental pollution.

In 2016, almost one out of three federal employees teleworked at some point during the year. Nearly one out of seven federal staffers now work from home at least one day a week. And in the summer of 2016, the Office of Personnel Management listed poor air quality as one of the main reasons to have employees telecommute: “If your supervisor approves, telework-ready employees may telework from home on a day when air quality conditions are poor.”

5. Remote work positively impacts the environment and the bottom line of companies that allow it.

In 2015, Xerox reported its teleworkers drove 92 million fewer miles, saving 4.6 million gallons of gas, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 41,000 metric tons, and saving the company over $10 million.

Remote work’s environmental impact is clearly seen in a number of direct and indirect ways. As more companies, organizations, and government agencies adopt remote work as a smart business practice, we’ll see the continued positive benefits of telecommuting on the environment.

BONUS: The Collective Impact of Telecommuting on the Environment

In 2017 FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics partnered to identify the impact of remote work on all sorts of areas, including the environment.

According to the study, here’s the total environmental impact for the current remote worker population of 3.9 million workers who work from home at least half-time:

Annual Environmental Impact:

Vehicle miles not traveled: 7.8 billion

Vehicle trips avoided: 530 million

Tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) avoided (EPA method): 3 million

Reduced traffic accident costs: $498 million

Oil savings ($50/barrel): $980 million

Total air quality savings (lbs. per year): 83 million

Carbon Savings Equivalents:

Tanker trucks of gasoline: 46,658

Homes powered by electricity for a year: 538,361

Tree seedlings needed to offset (grown over 10 years): 91.9 million

As a certified green company, FlexJobs is committed to environmentally responsible practices and supports job seekers’ efforts in finding companies that offer flexible green jobs.

Celebrate this year’s Earth Day on Monday, April 22, and explore the many green and environmentally friendly and sustainable jobs on FlexJobs.

Rachel Jay contributed to this post.

Originally published March 2, 2011. Updated April 16, 2019 .

Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com

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