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On top of that, many industries and politicians are pushing for society to return to the office because of the ecenomic negatives of not doing so. Think of all

On top of that, many industries and politicians are pushing for society to return to the office because of the ecenomic negatives of not doing so. Think of all the commercial real estate sitting empty, think of all the dress clothes and makeup that is not being sold, etc. Lots of industries are very interested in workers going back to the office and lobbying their politicians to push for it.

BlargMcLarg 4y ago
Ironic considering car usage makes up a huge portion of emissions, and this would be the easiest way to cut it with very little negative impact to mental health.
- whoooooo123 4y ago
  On the flip side, if everyone is working from home with the heating and lights on, cooking their own lunch, then energy usage is much less efficient than having everyone in the same building eating lunch in the cafeteria. I have no idea whether this outweighs the environmental benefit of having fewer cars on the road - just saying that you need to consider all the trade-offs.
  - lapcat 4y ago
    > if everyone is working from home with the heating and lights on Speaking as a Wisconsinite, you can't just turn off the heat in your home in the winter when you leave. Also, most homes tend to have more windows and natural lighting than office buildings. And even if you need light at home, you can just turn on the lights in the room you're working in, whereas in an office building the lights are generally on everywhere all the time during office hours. > cooking their own lunch Probably more environmentally friendly and healthy than the junk food that office workers would have to buy at chains.
    - ljf 4y ago
      Even in the mild UK it is the same. My energy usages is roughly the same since I've been at home compared to working 5 days in an office.
  - lotsofpulp 4y ago
    Energy equals force times distance equals mass times acceleration times distance. The energy to move 50kg to 100kg+ many kilometers dwarfs any difference in energy usage due to efficiency and transporting the fuel to a home.
- soupfordummies 4y ago
  I shudder to think what Atlanta traffic would be like if everyone returned to office. It's already far worse than pre-pandemic in the afternoons now.
  - castlecrasher2 4y ago
    >It's already far worse than pre-pandemic in the afternoons now. Having lived in Atlanta about 8 years ago I can't imagine it being worse; the perimeter was always at a standstill. How bad is it now?
csdvrx 4y ago
> Think of all the commercial real estate sitting empty Then turn all of it into housing! If you argue it won't be suitable because of a lack of sufficient windows per room etc, I guarantee you that at a low enough price, it will find a buyer or a renter. I love working in an office, but having 2 physical spaces, each empty for about half of the time (office at night, home in the daytime) strikes me as stupid. Let's be honest: there is no genuine physical limitation. We've just decided to be wasteful with our land use to milk more money out of it, and to force the hand of people who might object to that with laws like single family zoning.
- RichardCNormos 4y ago
  > We've just decided to be wasteful with our land use to milk more money out of it, and to force the hand of people who might object to that with laws like single family zoning. Some of us don't want to live in an urban filing cabinet.
  - marcosdumay 4y ago
    Well, some do. Why would you forbid one of those groups to get what they want?
- jrnichols 4y ago
  Dallas, TX is doing some of that. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2022/01/14/downtown-dallas-developments-will-convert-offices-to-apartments-and-add-new-towers/ https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2022/01/14/d...

BlargMcLarg 4y ago

Ironic considering car usage makes up a huge portion of emissions, and this would be the easiest way to cut it with very little negative impact to mental health.

whoooooo123 4y ago
On the flip side, if everyone is working from home with the heating and lights on, cooking their own lunch, then energy usage is much less efficient than having everyone in the same building eating lunch in the cafeteria. I have no idea whether this outweighs the environmental benefit of having fewer cars on the road - just saying that you need to consider all the trade-offs.
- lapcat 4y ago
  > if everyone is working from home with the heating and lights on Speaking as a Wisconsinite, you can't just turn off the heat in your home in the winter when you leave. Also, most homes tend to have more windows and natural lighting than office buildings. And even if you need light at home, you can just turn on the lights in the room you're working in, whereas in an office building the lights are generally on everywhere all the time during office hours. > cooking their own lunch Probably more environmentally friendly and healthy than the junk food that office workers would have to buy at chains.
  - ljf 4y ago
    Even in the mild UK it is the same. My energy usages is roughly the same since I've been at home compared to working 5 days in an office.
- lotsofpulp 4y ago
  Energy equals force times distance equals mass times acceleration times distance. The energy to move 50kg to 100kg+ many kilometers dwarfs any difference in energy usage due to efficiency and transporting the fuel to a home.
soupfordummies 4y ago
I shudder to think what Atlanta traffic would be like if everyone returned to office. It's already far worse than pre-pandemic in the afternoons now.
- castlecrasher2 4y ago
  >It's already far worse than pre-pandemic in the afternoons now. Having lived in Atlanta about 8 years ago I can't imagine it being worse; the perimeter was always at a standstill. How bad is it now?

csdvrx 4y ago

> Think of all the commercial real estate sitting empty Then turn all of it into housing! If you argue it won't be suitable because of a lack of sufficient windows per room etc, I guarantee you that at a low enough price, it will find a buyer or a renter. I love working in an office, but having 2 physical spaces, each empty for about half of the time (office at night, home in the daytime) strikes me as stupid. Let's be honest: there is no genuine physical limitation. We've just decided to be wasteful with our land use to milk more money out of it, and to force the hand of people who might object to that with laws like single family zoning.

RichardCNormos 4y ago
> We've just decided to be wasteful with our land use to milk more money out of it, and to force the hand of people who might object to that with laws like single family zoning. Some of us don't want to live in an urban filing cabinet.
- marcosdumay 4y ago
  Well, some do. Why would you forbid one of those groups to get what they want?
jrnichols 4y ago
Dallas, TX is doing some of that. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2022/01/14/downtown-dallas-developments-will-convert-offices-to-apartments-and-add-new-towers/ https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2022/01/14/d...