It was a good session on Sustainability in the Service Network yesterday (apart from the techies losing my slide template between our run through and the real thing 10 minutes later…). It’s always a little difficult to say exciting things about office based businesses and sustainability – most of them don’t have control over their building and duplex printing is hardly earth shattering. So I tease them by trailing the picture above as “the office of the future”.

I then have to caveat that I don’t mean working outside per se (although it is lovely when I can do it), but working from home. I operate out of a well appointed home office. By doing this, I cut an hour’s commute each way to work – less carbon, less stress, more time with the family. Also there isn’t a heated/air-conditioned office building waiting for me somewhere (and the last building I worked in, the air con and the heat were often blazing away simultaneously but that’s a long story). If I do put the heating on, that heat is used in the evening by the whole family rather than dissipating out of an empty office.

Wider than that are a whole range of other environmental and social benefits – contracted action space ie I use local amenities, those amenities are strengthened to encourage others to use them, I’m more likely to walk or cycle when I do travel, and I speak to my neighbours more leading to a closer community and reduced crime rates. A big shift to flexible working will kill the nightmare of the dormitory town.

Trust me, it’s the future!