office progress

One of the places that I'm constantly looking to improve, environment-wise, is my office. It's not exactly known for being on the forefront of eco practices, but hey, we have a recycling system in place and most of us print double-sided!

The brutally hot summer has put a lot of stress on our air conditioners, which have alternately broken over the past week. Because of that, the inside air is reaching 88 degrees in the afternoons. While there are three main culprits to the problem - lack of ceiling/insulation, numerous large heat-emitting warehouse lights and single-pane windows - there's only one that is an easy solution.

So that led me to calling a local window store I'd found, one that installs solar window film. I met with the guy, was shown two options, and given an estimate. And since I had a little free time, I started writing a proposal to my bosses about why it would be a good investment for the office. I didn't realize just how passionate I would feel writing it, but I just kept going, and ended up with a three-page proposal and five accompanying photographs. I was actually nervous when sending it off, but I attribute that mostly to feeling certain I would do something that actually mattered to me and get nowhere with my bosses.

This morning when I went in, I saw that my bosses had emailed back regarding the proposal. I was shocked to see they had said yes to installing solar film, and that they chose the higher cost option. But I definitely took to making progress and have already put down the initial deposit and scheduled the installation.

By the end of this week, my office may finally see relief and we'll have Vista Film on all our windows. I'm looking forward to seeing this project through (and taking pictures along the way.) I find it's interesting how surprised I am that I'm so motivated and invested. Between that, and looking forward to the next energy efficiency project I want to tackle, I'm realizing that this is how I should be feeling every day at work. I feel so fulfilled to help save energy and money and make a more comfortable office.

More to come with the progress!