The effects of climate change are being felt around the world. Now, more than ever, we all need to be aware of this on both a macro level and in our daily routines; at home and in the office.
At Vortex Coworking, we want to contribute to the green campaign against climate change and make it easier for our community to do the same. Here’s how we apply some sustainable initiatives and actions in our coworking spaces to achieve this:
#1 We embrace the concept of Flex Offices. This model involves sharing and optimizing natural resources – square meters, light, water, and overall energy and electricity consumption – thereby minimizing our impact on the planet.
#2 We create local coworking spaces with medium-sized to cater to the needs of their surrounding areas, promoting the 15-minute city concept, which is explained in more detail on our blog specific to it. According to this concept, local coworking spaces offer a commuting alternative to employees and companies by providing a professional and suitable work facilities and environment close to home, minimizing and optimizing commutes to the central office. This helps reduce pollution, peak-hour traffic, and personal time lost in commuting.
#3 We support and strengthen the small businesses around us as part of our commitment to a sustainable economy. We not only promote our neighborhoods and businesses through initiatives in our monthly calendar, but we also do so with blog articles about useful businesses for our coworkers in the vicinity of each of our coworking spaces in Valencia.
#4 Our spaces are conveniently located near public transport options such as trains, metro, buses, and/or bike lanes, facilitating sustainable transportation and reducing our community’s carbon footprint.
#5 We encourage sustainable habits in the Vortex Community. We communicate these practices during onboarding, through our Green Guide, and with on-site reinforcement from our space hosts:
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Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
We reduce the use of plastics and single-use materials by providing filtered water stations and reusable bottles to cut down on plastic bottle usage and encourage the use of existing tupperwares for take-away food.
Promoting reuse, how? For example, we avoid using disposable cups and cutlery, opting for durable ones instead, and we encourage reusable water bottles. We also have more creative initiatives, like our Secret Santa during the traditional Vortex Christmas dinner, where we ask members to find interesting gifts at home instead of buying new ones.
Reducing natural resources consumption by making members aware and conscious about the water and electricity usage, as well as promoting a “paperless office” by reducing paper brochures and promotions, and encouraging responsible printer use.
We encourage recycling habits by establishing and labeling recycling stations in our coworking spaces in Valencia. Since these habits need consistent reinforcement and training, we remind our members of this during onboarding and also provide our members with access to Nasta Coach, a virtual assistant using AI to detect where each waste should go.
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Healthy Mobility
Our locations are close to public transportation such as metro or bus stops that are easily accessible. Additionally, we encourage our coworkers to bike to work, facilitated by our collaboration with Kleta, a bike subscription service in Valencia. This commitment to sustainable mobility not only helps our planet but also promotes a healthier lifestyle and 100% proven to make us arrive at the office happier.
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Supporting sustainable initiatives and activities
Our monthly calendar highlights and shares sustainable activities and initiatives promoted by agencies that we trust. Especially, we would like to mention one of the most beautiful projects we’ve worked with: Desert Leaves, dedicated to reforesting arid areas, led by our dear coworker Wim Cambien, and about which we have had the honor of hosting presentations and workshops in our workspaces.
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Energy consumption
In our coworking spaces, we promote responsible energy use. We manage lighting and air conditioning efficiently and maintain an ecologically appropriate temperature in both summer and winter by adjusting and controlling thermostats. Additionally, our energy consumption comes from green energy sources, we use low-energy or LED lighting in all our spaces, and we take advantage of natural light in work areas, reducing the need for artificial lighting for most of the day.
Each initiative we implement is designed to minimize our environmental impact and maximize the well-being of our community. Moreover, sharing this responsibility and values brings us together as a tribe.
Not a Vortex member yet? If you think you might like it, don’t be shy and come visit us. You can book a tour to check out the spaces, sign up directly from the website for one of our memberships or book a day pass and experience Vortex firsthand.