How working from home allows these two Elasticians to live more sustainably

Remote work gives employees increased flexibility, decreased stress, and higher productivity. It’s not just good for people, remote work can also lessen our environmental impacts —  something we at Elastic can get behind. 

Elastic is distributed by design, meaning many of our Elasticians work from where they work best. This set-up allows us to operate in a more carbon efficient way, which aligns with our overall sustainability goals. Our in-office people-to-desk ratio is 3:1, so we’re able to reduce employee commuting and minimize office energy usage, water consumption, and waste generation.

But we want to go further than that and educate our employees on how they can be more energy efficient and reduce their own personal impact. We measure our greenhouse gas emissions from work-from-home (WFH) activities, employee commuting, and business travel — these numbers are part of our indirect “Scope 3” emissions. So to further reduce our overall impacts and encourage our employees to do the same, we plan to offer additional learning and development opportunities in sustainability and carbon reduction. 

But,many of our employees are already operating more sustainably all on their own. We spoke with two Elasticians — Tina Botti, Principal Pre-Sales Delivery Manager, and Stacey King Poling, Director, Software Engineering — to learn more about how they weave sustainability into their every day, work from home routines. 

Why is sustainability important to you?

Tina: I read this Native American proverb somewhere that said "Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children." I interpret that as sustainability being larger than our individual selves, and more focused on future generations to ensure they're able to enjoy the earth that we currently enjoy.

Stacey: I grew up understanding how important it is to be a "good steward" of what you have, including the land you live on. I love the beauty of this world and want to do what I can to keep my little area of it safe. If we all did that, our world would be a much better place. 

What do you do to be more sustainable?

Tina: I recycle, have started gardening, and am semi-curious about exploring the composting world. I also limit my use of paper and plastic products when possible.

Stacey: I compost everything I can and try to use products that are biodegradable with compostable packaging. When the packaging is not compostable, I try to find other ways to use it, like boxes for storage, plastic or glass bottles can be used in the garage, or even for arts and craft supplies, paper or plastic bags can be reused, etc. 

The most important thing I do is try as hard as I can to limit buying new things. Especially clothing! I buy things second-hand or not at all when I can.

How and when did you get started?

Tina: I've recycled most of my life, but I'm pretty active with outdoor activities and want to ensure future generations are able to explore and enjoy what the world has to offer — it's pretty incredible out there.

Stacey: I started making the small changes that turned into a bigger lifestyle change in the last few years. I have experienced so much trauma in the last 15 years that I ended up becoming almost a hoarder, emotionally afraid to let go of anything. As part of healing, I have taken steps to move to a more minimal lifestyle, and with that came looking into how I could make better use of the things I do have, which led to living more sustainably.

Does working from home make it easier to live more sustainably? How?

Tina: Absolutely. Working from home is what allowed me to have the time to try my hand at gardening. I also drive significantly less without having a commute, and eat out much less for lunch during the day, etc.

Stacey: Yes, so much. I don’t spend resources or create waste by commuting in a vehicle. I am able to eat at home and not use resources in another building. I can be conscious of what I consume for power, I can make good choices. I am very lucky to have these options. 

“Being sustainable isn't an all or nothing thing,” Stacey says. “Small changes build up to some really great results.”

Learn more about sustainability at Elastic and browse open jobs.