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.