Photo by Tahmid Munaz �

My company started a green initiative related to electricity usage.  They’ve installed modules that make the electric system in our building “smart”.  Now, different zones can be turned off from a central location to save electricity.  This benefits both the company, which frugally cuts its utility bill, and the planet, as less fossil fuels are burned due to the decreased usage.  It’s a win-win.  Hooray!

The planet breathes a sigh of relief

Since the upgrade, the building lights get turned on at a certain time of the morning.  People who get in before the lights get turned on must rely on their desk  lights for illumination.  This part doesn’t affect me, as I’m not a morning person.  The lights are burning for a couple of hours before I set foot in the building.

Who turned out the lights?

But a new phenomenon occurred yesterday: the lights were turned down during lunch.  While this doesn’t sound like a big deal, I use my lunch break for paying bills, reading other blogs, or brainstorming articles for this blog.  I could barely see my keyboard, and for a lousy typist, this is a problem.  many other people thought this was a bad idea also.  One guy taped a flashlight to a hardhat, and walked around.  That was good for a few laughs.  Maybe they should have issued one of these to everyone:

Grin and bear it

One of the directors came by during the improvised headlamp joke, and remarked that it was indeed dark in our area.  But he didn’t say anything about changing the policy, so I guess it’s lunch in the dark.  I wonder if they’ll continue this during the winter.  That would be pretty bleak.

Don’t like it?  Go get some fresh air!

At least the lights came back on after lunch.  I wasn’t worried;  I always have a small flashlight as part of  my every day carry.  But another thought occurred, actually a quote from Office Space:

“Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.”

Maybe I should take Peter Gibbons’ advice and get out of the building into the sunshine.  I can save my blog writing for the nighttime.

Thank you, Facilities Department, for making this post possible.

Follow the adventures of the Corporate Barbarian as he ventures out into the daylight: Subscribe

 Print This Post

• Barbaric Links - The Yankees Win Edition Bari D Ah, the Yankees' first win at the new stadium, and this barbarian is very happy!  Looks like the ghosts found their way across 161st street after all.  I hope they can put together two in a row.  Here are some worthwhile personal finance links to check out......
• Lights Out! Photo by B Rosen A while ago, I talked about my company's newest green initiative, which consisted of most of the lights being turned off at lunch time.  I know a few facilities people received some type of award for this brainstorm, and they were flown, business class no......
• Getting Rich in America Book Review and Summary, Part 2 This is Part 2 of my review and chapter summary of Getting Rich in America: 8 Simple Rules for Building a Fortune and a Satisfying Life by Dwight R. Lee and Richard B. McKenzie. You can read Part 1 of this review by clicking the following link: Getting Rich in......

• A Cool Roof is Essential for Green Commercial Construction When the sun beats down on a black tar roof, the result is not unlike an oven. Temperatures can climb to as high as 190 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface of traditional dark colored roofs, and the suns rays are absorbed and the heat is transmitted to the rest of......
• How To Stop Foreclosure in 2 Hours! Went to a real estate meeting last night. The speaker was Ward Hannigan a local san diego investor who cleaned up the town during the last 2 RE recessions buying foreclosures. He thinks during the next downturn[which is going to hit in the next few years] he's doing to make......
• Quick and Easy Steps to Green Remodeling For a lot of home remodelers, the idea of going green can be absolutely overwhelming. Luckily, there is a wealth of information out there, and just because you are not already implementing these ideas, that does not mean you're too far behind to make some leeway. According to leading remodelers......