Go Green by Coworking: 10 Cafe-Plus-Office Hybrids

For full article, click here.

By Steph in Food & Health, Technology & Gadgets on WebEcoist

At home you’re isolated, working for days or weeks without human contact. At the coffee shop, you’re jostled by screaming kids, glared at by other customers waiting for a table and obligated to buy drinks in return for your long stay. What’s a mobile worker to do? Head to one of the many green coworking spaces that are popping up across the world, especially office/cafe hybrids that not only provide a welcoming workspace, shared equipment and pooled resources but drinks and snacks to boot. Green coworking spaces save both energy and cash and put you in touch with like-minded professionals.

Green Spaces, New York, New York

(images via: greenspacesny.com)

Green Spaces in New York – which has another location in Colorado – is an eco-friendly office, clubhouse and event venue that has also expanded to include full-service support for green businesses and social entrepreneurship. The offices use 100% wind power, compost all food scraps, a passive heating and cooling system and an eco-friendly Xerox Colorcube printer. All companies wishing to use Green Spaces must sign a pledge promising to work as green as possible while at Green Spaces, including using minimal paper products.

The Age of Coworking: Collaborative Consumption for the Creative Community

The Design Observer Group, Change Observer, News About Design and Social Innovation

New environments take the drudgery out of 9-to-5.

By Maria Popova 1.24.11

Many coworking spaces are housed in meticulously designed lofts. Photo from Green Spaces, NYC.

The shift from an ownership economy to an economy of sharing has been one of the most important movements of the past few years – a concept most eloquently captured inRachel Botsman's notion of collaborative consumption. From car- and bike-sharing to bookcycling reading clubs, the decentralization of resources is enabling us to have more by owning less — because, as Kevin Kelly puts it, "access trumps possession." So far, however, the majority of this resource-sharing has been experienced on the individual level: though enabled by a community of car-sharers, your ride in a ZipCar is no different and no less solitary than a ride in any other car. But an emerging groundswell is bridging shared resources and shared experience by taking collaborative consumption to a promising new frontier: The workplace. 

A rapidly proliferating number of coworking spaces worldwide is attracting creative entrepreneurs and freelancers across the entire spectrum of vocations, from startup founders to professional proofreaders. Designers, developers, writers, photographers, lawyers, hackers and other independent doers are coming together in shared spaces that offer all of the practical benefits of a traditional office and none of its cubicle-clinging, 9-to-5-abiding confines. Far from the merely utilitarian consideration of lower costs — everything from rent to printing to coffee is cheaper when it's shared — these hubs offer a unique environment for what I like to call "creative restlessness": that distinct itch to contribute to the world typical of those who have chosen to make a living from their life's calling. 

In New York City alone, dozens such coworking spaces exist. New Work City in Little Italy, a self-enforcing community open to all, aims to make it easier for like-minded independent workers to live happier, more productive lives. The Makery in Williamsburg brings together writers, early-stage startups and other freelancers. Green Spaces, with locations in both New York and Colorado, offers a coworking space for sustainability-oriented small business and also serves as a green business incubator. In Good Company is a community for women entrepreneurs co-founded by Artists & Fleas founder Amy Abrams. New York Nightowls is a late-night coworking club for bloggers, meeting between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. 

Coworking spaces fused with incubators are even popping up under the wings of existing funds. Betaworks, whose claims to fame include the popular URL shortener bit.ly and leading Twitter desktop client TweetDeck, serves as a coworking space for tech entrepreneurs. Dogpatch Labs, a self-described "frat house for geeks" with locations in Cambridge, New York and San Francisco, offers desk space, bandwidth, coffee and lunch to aspiring entrepreneurs and connects them with one another as well as potential investors in a spirit of "open-source entrepreneurship." 

I've recently had the pleasure and privilege of joining studiomates — a stunning all-white loft in DUMBO with a magnificent view of the East River and Lower East Side. Studiomates is the brainchild of design tastemaker Tina Roth Eisenberg, better-known as Swiss Miss, who operates it in tandem with socially responsible design outfit Workshop. Tina articulates the unique energy and draw of coworking:

I started studiomates out of the belief that surrounding yourself with smart, entrepreneurial spirited people is the key to a successful and happy small business career. The studio has given birth to many fantastic new business ideas. Given the doer nature of our studiomates, many of the ideas were launched: Several websites, iPhone apps and a conference came out of our inspiring environment. The studio is my happy place.

Mine, too. 

Besides the clear allure of beautiful lofts with meticulously designed interiors, none of which individual freelancers would be able to afford on their own, many coworking hubs offer a range of experiential perks. In Good Company hosts various events that supply members with everything from search engine optimization strategies to health and wellness tips. Green Spaces offers free coffee and tea, a full range of sustainable options like recycling, composting and eco-printing, and even interns for project work. At studiomates, we regularly invite interesting people – from successful creative entrepreneurs to prominent designers – for an informal lunch and chat. And New Work City recently launched NWCU — a community-powered educational program featuring a curated menu of classes, hackathons, meetups and other events by NWC members. 

Not sure how to find one? Coworking, a free iPhone app, locates coworking hubs around the world. WorkSnug takes it one step further, using augmented reality to geolocate a coworking space in your immediate surroundings, alongside reviews of each space's offerings. The comprehensive Coworking Wiki crowdsources coworking hub locations globally and organizes them in a directory. LooseCubes offers an ambitious visual directory of 475 hubs in 170 cities across the U.S., complete with pricing and amenities details for each. Says founder Campbell McKellar:

I started LooseCubes because I realized that working in an inspiring environment with interesting people makes me happier and more productive. And I knew I wasn’t alone. Coworking is about more than access to a desk — it leads to serendipitous conversations, new partnerships, and lasting connections. Magic happens when you work around great people.

With more than 150,000 creative professionals registered with Freelancers Union in the U.S. alone, a number no doubt representing only a small fraction of these sole creative warriors stateside and worldwide, today's coworking landscape is only the tip of a staggering iceberg. The movement mixes collaborative consumption and collaborative creation in a bouquet of benefits over the age-old centralized workspace model — offering a more creative and flexible environment than the traditional office, relieving the financial burdens of running your own private studio, and providing the creative and intellectual simulation that working from home doesn't. 

And, perhaps most important, how many people get to call their office their happy place? 

How to: Green Your Workplace Without Driving Your Coworkers Nuts

by Ben Jervey

The typical office is a battleground of personal tastes and habits. So what, then, is the environmentally-conscious worker to do? How could you possible work to “green” your workspace without becoming the the office nuisance? We talked to Roberto Rhett, the director of Green Spaces NY, an eco-friendly co-working office share, about how to lower the impact of your workplace without driving all your co-workers nuts. Here are 6 easy tips:

1) Switch your energy provider to 100% alternative power sources. Green Spaces NY uses Community Energy Inc. through ConEdison Solutions. Its only a few cents more expensive but you are voting with your dollars and this is something that will not affect staff in any way! [For renewable energy anywhere, check out Green-e.

2) Change the light bulbs in the office. If you find good quality, high efficiency bulbs, there’s no negative impact on your co-workers, but the energy savings are significant.

3) Work on sourcing more sustainable supplies–from 100% recycled paper to cleaning products to fair trade coffee. The Green Office has great selection, and the price premium generally isn’t prohibitive. (At Green Spaces NY, they also use a sodastream machine so that workers can make bubbly bevs without having to buy cans of soda from a vending machine.

4) Recycling and composting can quickly cut down up to 2/3 of your waste stream. Recycling is relatively easy: put big, well-labeled bins everywhere there’s a trash can. Composting is tougher, and messier. But if you do work with a gung-ho bunch, why not go ahead and buy a planter for the window and you can grow tomatoes or other veggies using the compost as nutrient rich soil.

5) Use timers. For the thermostat, so that the office isn’t unnecessarily heated or cooled when nobody’s in there. For the computers when they’re not in use. For lights when nobody’s in a room. Nobody is effected because nobody’s there!

6) For new furniture–desks, couches, tables–vintage and refurbished items are generally popular, since it creates a bit of character for a workspace. It also obviously prevents them from ending up in the landfill, and cuts down demand for new goods to be produced.

For good measure, as Ambassador, I’d like to add one:

• Plants! Everyone loves plants. Nobody does not like plants. Plants keep office air fresher and cleaner, make workers feel better, and plenty of studies have shown that they actually increase workplace productivity. So get some greenery up in there.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user Office Now

About the author

GOOD is the integrated media platform for people who want to live well and do good. We are a company and community for the people, businesses, and NGOs moving the world forward. GOOD’s mission is to provide content, experiences, and utilities to serve this community.GOOD currently produces a website, videos, live events, and a print magazine. Launched in September 2006, the company has garnered praise for its unique editorial perspective and fresh visual aesthetic and is quickly positioning itself as a significant new voice in our culture.

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The Climate Community - Green Spaces New York

• March 16th, 2010 by dan

Green Spaces is an innovative concept that fosters young - green/eco-friendly businesses and entrepreneurs.  Founded and now operating in New York City, Green Spaces intends to find space in Southern California in the near future.

We became familiar with Green Spaces through our friend Emma Grady - the eco-fashion writer for Tree Hugger - and one of our weekly award winners.  Green Spaces is intended to provide work space and a feeling of community for small start-ups in need of a place to operate and looking for friendly, supportive peers.  Thus far Green Spaces appear to be off to an excellent start, and we wish them the best of luck….  For more info go to  info@greenspaceshome.com

View the article on The Climate Community.

The Energy Collective

GoodCompany "Un-Panel" at GreenSpaces NY

by greenskeptic on 03/12/2010

Last week's GoodCompany Ventures event at the TriBeCa, NY, offices of Green Spaces brought together some of the top minds in early stage and patient capital investing, including Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, Jacob Gray from Murex Investments, Roger Ehrenberg of IA Venture Strategies, and Jacqueline Novogratz of the Acumen Fund, along with yours truly as the "un-moderator."

A great dialogue on our "un-panel" ranged from balancing long-term impact with maximizing returns to the need for solid metrics for social return.

[Hoping to have a link to video of the panel here next week.]

Four GoodCompanys  from the inaugural class of 2009 presented, including Black Gold Biofuels, Couchange, CalendarFly, and PublicStuff.

Roger Ehrenberg wrote a thoughtful post on his Information Arbitrage blog about the need for a new model for investing in "social" impacts and Jason Keramidas wrote a recap on the GoodCompany blog.

Applications for the 2010 Incubator are being accepted here. (Disclosure: I am on the Advisory Board of GoodCompany Ventures.)

View the article at The Energy Collective.

The Alternative Consumer

eco deal of the day – Green Spaces NY

Day-tripping in NYC but need a space to hang your hat and crank-up your laptop?

Sign up for a Free Day Pass, and work in sustainable style at Green Spaces NY.  As Co-founder Jennie Nevin says, “We recycle, compost, use CFL light bulbs and use all reclaimed furniture throughout our space.”  Awesome, right?  Pass it on…

View it on The Alternative Consumer

BBC World News

"Green Spaces is the kind of workplace President Obama would like more of. It groups together environmentally driven small businesses; green startups that could drive job creation in America."

- Caroline Hepker, BBC World News

Click above to play the video and see the rest of the segment.

NY1 Covers Green Spaces (the video below is "Klickable" and will tell you information as you click on it!)

From the front area drenched in natural light, to the back room communal coffee kitchen -- where composting and recycling are enthusiastically embraced -- nearly two dozen businesses share one mind when it comes to environmental and sustainability issues.

"There's a lot of great interest right now amongst the entrepreneur community to find a collaborative workspace that's socially minded where people can get together and feel good about the world while they do their work. In the past month alone, our business has doubled," said Marissa Feinberg of Green Spaces.

For those who pay about $500 a month for work space, it goes beyond natural light and composting.

"Design with sustainability in mind. From the furniture that you see, it's all been refurbished, repurposed. It's been sourced directly from the street, from the sidewalk," said Roberto Rhett of Green Spaces. "It adds a creative atmosphere and a different feeling than your normal cubicle office space would have."

There are also low power consumption computers, experiments in natural decorating and hanging art made from repurposed materials.

"It looks good, people feel more comfortable about art especially if its green," said artist Susan Benarcik.

Green Spaces is hoping to attract a new breed of ecopreneur -- people with a keen appreciation for the concept of sustainability, and an understanding of the power of ideas.

"I wanted to have a platform to balance off ideas of other people, how to make my business more sustainable. In turn, I feel better about my product and so do my customers," said clothing designer Designer Sonia Tay.

Green Spaces also appears to be friendly when it comes to creating jobs.

"We've had several interns come into our program who have been hired with the Green Spaces company," Feinberg said.

In the TriBeCa office center, as well as in two more they are opening in other cities, green is translating to green for these ecopreneurs. 

"The Green Incubator and Social Scene in New York City is Green Spaces."

by Seth Leitman Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The purpose of Green Spaces is to connecting green or eco friendly change makers through a small business setting.  This in turn helps businesses really grow.  Small business always needs a place to go, expand and develop into a mature business.  Having a space where you can meet with business colleagues, get the job done and learn about going green all in one.  The place even has space where people can have events or eco friendly parties for the sake of launching a book, promoting a movie or letting your business have a location.  They call it SalonEco!!!

They have incubator laced with old jeans since one of the companies located at the office refurbishes jeans to reduce the customer’s carbon footprint.  This company is called Denim Therapy.  These open and airy cubicles had some regular clients that had their office stuff at the desk. 

In the front is a mini retail space location for your internet website to have a presence in the City.  This is really important for small businesses since when I use to be Managing Member of a retail business they ALWAYS wanted a “STORE LOCATION”.  This will help businesses convert potential clients to customers more effectively.

The brick laden walls provide a lofty feel.  This provides a feeling of home; like you feel part of a community of green businesses.  It’s cool how it all really started.  Green Spaces started as an office and has now become home to hundreds of environmental innovators and stomping grounds for cutting edge entrepreneurs.

Hey, they even offer a one day FREE PASS to check out the place!Now, Green Spaces has:

• Over 10,000 readers to their newsletter
• 70 companies
• a website and blog that gets over 10,000 visitors per month
• a real venue to create multiple levels of change for the Green economy in New York City.

Green Spaces New York not only offers work space, but is also a sustainable venue for events, fundraisers, supper clubs, art gallery showings, film screenings (as when I came here they screened The Great Green Smoke Screen) pop-up markets, workshops, classes, meet-up groups, and more!

The Features and Amenities are:

• Access to beautiful open loft space with exposed brick and alley
• Full Kitchen Access
• Promotion of your event to the NYC Green community

Green Spaces NY has many different membership levels:

Full-Time Desk Space: Have a desk with a lamp and filing cabinet. 

Lounge Desk Space: Access a floating desk space in their funky cool "lounge area". 

Then they have this thing called drop-in space for when you just drop-in; duh.They have all the amenities of a regular office, such as a vintage desk, filing cabinet, lamps, chairs, internet, printers, Copier, and Fax machines, a place to call your business home; aka a mailbox, conference rooms, interns, workshops, GREEN EVENTS, a kitchen and FREE COFFEE!! YEAH!!!

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Marissa Feinberg Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer.  Athough when I met up with Marissa at the Green Space location and I was able to tour the spot, I asked Marissa about where this is all leading.  I mean this type of business incubator concept for green companies could be in cities nation and I don't know worldwide, she agreed.  "We are really becoming the place for social change makers to unite and grow.  We are looking at Los Angeles and other cities around the world where we can further the Green Economy. We have become so much more than we were set up to be.  We are much more than an office; we are a happening hub where new business ideas are formed everyday.  We have become a catalyst of thousands of global conversions that are bringing world changing action."

For more on this interview and more about Green Spaces, go to my website at Green Living Guy by clicking here. Click here to read the story on Greenopia.com.

Green Spaces Colorado on ColoradoBiz TV