Analyzing carbon generation as a function of working externally from the office: An algorithmic approach

Human activity has increased CO2 generation; this increase is viewed as a negative influence on the planet. Increase in CO2 has been researched as elements of air pollution, climate change, and the greenhouse effect. Many companies have the ability to locate workers in a central office or in a home office, and may have a policy in place to dictate the use of each location. This decision can be built upon calculation of CO 2 emissions created by workers at each location, and using the results to enhance or create a work from home policy. Existing research focuses on aggregate generation of CO2, primarily on the reduction of commuting when working from home. Using an algorithmic process, analysis was conducted on a test company to find the amount of CO2 that can be attributed to a single worker at each work location. CO2 generation for the home office uses energy, while, CO2 generation for a central office uses commuting and individual consumption of energy supplied to the entire office. Attributed CO2 for an employee working in a central office is 1,016.744923 pounds of CO2 monthly. Attributed CO2 for an employee working in a home office is 198.53 pounds of CO2 monthly. The findings indicate that working from home decreased the carbon footprint of each worker.