One of the things I love about working for a coworking business is the friendliness between the various coworking businesses. I think it’s a result of the fact that each group started the business in an effort to find community and this has extended to the WAY they do business.

So color us happy here at Office Nomads happy that our pals up at Giraffe Labs got some e-ink this morning in John Cook’s Venture Blog in the PI.

“A club house for big people.”

That’s how the folks at Giraffe Labs are describing a new work space in Pioneer Square, a 1,200 square foot location where artists can interact with engineers and computer scientists can write code next to musicians composing music.

I really like the collaborative focus of places like GL and StartPad which incubate start-ups. It’s comforting to know that the next big ideas are being worked on in the current big idea.

That said, I know from experience that just working near people is a form of colloboration even if we’re not “working together.” The distraction that others provide gives my brain a break and allows it to find a solution to problems on its own. It makes all those conversations I have with my office mates and the time I spend playing with the office dogs Stella and Cortez a form of work. (Read this article on insight in the New Yorker if you don’t believe me.)

Congratulations to Austin’s new coworking space, Conjuctured.  This news clip explains the concept quite well.  

Sunday Jacob and I got our first chance to take Office Nomads out for a spin in the world of sustainability. And what a day it was! As part of Sustainable Capitol Hill, we’ve been spending a lot of time recently helping to plan “Imagine Capitol Hill.” The day could not have been better – incredible weather, fun participants, and a bustling farmer’s market to join in made the day a smashing success. The day was filled with cooking demonstrations from local chefs, live local music, recycled art projects, and incredible learning experiences with local environmental- and community-minded organizations. This festival was built to be different than traditional sustainability festivals. We wanted more than just another pamphlet shuffling event. Building a sustainable community means more than just recycling and walking more. It is about creating a supportive community that collaborates together to make meaningful change. So what better way to get the community out and about interacting together than inviting them to eat together, learn together, and even dance together? (the photo above shows free salsa lessons from the amazing folks at Century Ballroom)

Office Nomads was psyched to demonstrate how we contribute to building a local community of independent workers, this time with a focus on how it all connects to sustainability. So much of what ON is about is allowing people to have all of the advantages of working closer to home (as part of a more sustainable lifestyle – kicking their commute goodbye, having more time to do things they’d prefer to do, etc.), but to not have to go it alone while doing so. As part of a wider picture of workplace sustainability, coworking offers a way to make environmentally friendly choices a bit more appealing than they have been in the past. We’re excited to be a part of the movement.

Instead of waxing poetically forever about what an incredible day it was (HUGE thanks to our incredible team of volunteers and organizers…what a crew!), I’ll let some of our booth visitors speak for me. Here are just a few little snippets of what people suggested they’d do with their time if they didn’t have to commute:

• “Eat breakfast at home, not on the run!”
• “Meet friends for dinner.”
• “Spend more time with my daughter.”
• “Drink more beer!

What a great way to make some fantastic connections between what we do at Office Nomads and the greater conversation about sustainability in our neighborhood. Thanks to the great team at SCH for a wonderful day! If you’d like to read more, you can check out the P-I article that came out about the event on Monday.

If you’ve spent any time at Office Nomads since March, or if you’ve kept an eye on our calendar of events,  you’ve probably heard of Imagine Capitol Hill. Not only has Susan been hosting planning meetings for this weekend’s street fair at ON, she’s been one of the major planners of it. The street fair, which organizers hope will inspire participants to imagine what Capitol Hill could be like as a more sustainable community, promises to be a really great time.  I don’t know all the details, but according to the Sustainable Capitol Hill site, it’ll include an outdoor street café with free tea & coffee, sustainable cooking demonstrations and a bike repair clinic (which I desperately need to attend).

But wait, there’s more. Office Nomads will also have a booth there. Susan and Jacob will spend the day extolling the virtues of having a commute-free workspace in the neighborhood. They’ll have couches out for folks who feel the need to take a load off or want to chat with their neighbors (and maybe even get some work done on a Sunday, if they want), displays about the space and, most fun of all, an interactive art project.

The art project will ask folks to put their thinking caps on and imagine (get it?) what they would do with all the time they’d save by not commuting to work by working at a coworking office in their neighborhood. An array of colorful post-its will, I’m sure, have some pretty awesome ideas. We’ll report on the best next week.

So if you’re in the ‘hood, drop by Imagine Capitol Hill this Sunday between 11 am and 4 pm and make sure to say hi to Jacob and Susan!

Last week Susan and I went to BizJam Seattle 2008 and I have to say it was impressive.  We held down the fort at the Office Nomads Networking Lounge for both days of the conference and the people we spoke with were inspiring.  The energy was flying and the connections were priceless.

There were a lot of great workshops and even though we only saw a couple we got to enjoy all the conversations people were having afterwards.  We just sat on our pretty couches and took it all in.  Biznik is an amazing resource for the indie business crowd and we are lucky to have them in our back yard.

It’s not a Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae bailout or anything, but in England, at least one local government body is getting on the coworking train. Why is the Advantage West Midlands regional development agency trying to convince employers in the city of Birmingham to set up “tele-hubs” in the suburbs? They’re trying to cut down on commuting trips as a way of lowering carbon emissions.

Sound familiar? It should, Susan posted recently about the idea of neighborhood coworking centers as a trip-reduction strategy. We’re such leaders here at Office Nomads. Well, according to the blog that brought the Birmingham effort to our attention, Office Nomads is a “good example” of a coworking office!

Anyway, more on the Birmingham idea:

Birmingham commuters will work from shared offices located in the city’s suburbs in the future under plans being drawn up to tackle climate change.

The radical measure will see employers working side by side with staff from other firms at specially equipped out-of-city centre work hubs in a bid to cut down on carbon emissions caused by travel.

Cool huh? Too bad our government has so much to worry about right now, it could be a better way to reduce the price of oil than increasing drilling off our coasts. But then, that’s just me.

It’s all over the news these days. Gas prices are up (in Seattle an average of $4.30/gal or so at the moment), commute times suck (on a good day you can get to Redmond from Seattle in 38 minutes one way), and people are looking for ways to still do the jobs they love (or not from time to time) and not spend a ton of time and money getting there and back. Conversations are starting up around Seattle and beyond on how employers can start encouraging their employees to get out of their cars and into public transportation.

But here’s a question for you all to chew on: what if you could get rid of the commute altogether?

Dude. I know. Exciting.

What if instead of a commute you just worked from a coworking space or other shared office space in your own neighborhood? Coworking is just coming on the map, and I hope that part of its impact is on making commuting as we now know it a thing of the past. In preparation for the upcoming Imagine Capitol Hill sustainability festival on Sunday July 20, Office Nomads has been doing a lot of thinking on how we can get residents in our neighborhood to think what life would be like if they didn’t have to commute. It begs questions about how we use the time in our life to best reflect our priorities. What would you do with that hour or so each day that you spend in the car or on the bus? Could that time be spent actually getting work done? Even better yet, spending time with your friends or family? Taking up a new hobby? Exercising? Taking a cooking class?

It’s all part of an important conversation we’re participating in about changing the way we think about how we can get work done. Taking a step back and looking from a wider angle, it’s about sustainability and how we can each have a hand in making a difference. Cutting down on transportation time and energy can make a drastic impact by reducing carbon emissions. Supporting local businesses by grabbing lunch at the nearby cafe keeps dollars local and engages residents with their neighborhood.

Not to feel like I’m standing on my high horse, but I really think coworking is a part of the future of working and sustainable neighborhoods. Working at home has been a great answer for some, but for others who give it a try, it becomes a lonely, isolating practice that leads individuals heading back towards company offices. Coworking provides a balance, and a half-way place for the new nomadic workforce.

What do you think?

[thanks to flickr user Burning Image for the shot!]