In the uncertainty caused by COVID-19, we have learned that behavioral impacts could potentially reduce business operating costs and our reliance on fossil fuels.
Image Source: NASA Earth Observatory
Recent orders to contain the spread of the virus have shifted interactions in public spaces to a more virtual world. More than ever, our workforce is rooted at home and travel is restricted to only absolutely necessary errands. A majority of the public are now abiding by these new orders, which has reduced the dependence on overall vehicular travel for the time being. The photo above shows that NO2 emissions have indeed dropped in correlation with a lower dependence on vehicles. Fossil fuel combustion from cars are one of the major sources of NO2, a greenhouse gas, in our atmosphere. This goes to show that a higher awareness and shift in daily behavior to help our climate crisis is possible and effective.
With Stay-at-Home orders in place and the continued need for business collaboration, companies are becoming more innovative in their methods to maintain a profitable workflow. One major shift is in the higher utilization of teleconferencing platforms to collaborate with those inside and outside of the company. This has the potential to improve business operating costs in the future. Businesses that have the capability to allow their employees to work remotely could not only save on their energy bills and resources needed to support a full office staff, but they could immediately save on travel efficiency as well. Teleconferencing in the long term would reduce or eliminate travel times going from the office to meetings, and vice versa. This time could then be used for essential business work and evaluating process improvement techniques.
A worldwide pandemic is not a solution for business and resource efficiency. Rather, new public health restrictions during this time exemplify that even the slightest change in attitude, personal responsibility, and behavior is possible and has the potential to be quite effective in giving our planet a fighting chance.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has pushed federal, state, and local governments to enact seemingly extreme orders to mitigate its spread and “flatten the curve.” These new public health orders are some that haven’t been seen in recent history – temporary closures of many businesses, orders for employees to work from home, no more dining in at restaurants, and discouraging large gatherings altogether. With these new restrictions, people worldwide are now adjusting to a new way of life and businesses are learning new methods to maintain some type of normalcy during this time.For more information on how to improve the sustainability of your work environment, contact VCA Green below.
Contributing Writer: Yvonne Lo, Project Coordinator
Moe Fakih
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