Better than we Imagined...

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.