oDesk celebrates Earth Day with work at home platform

Earth Day News: 10,693 oDesk workers saved 8,327 tons of CO2 emission by working online in the past year. oDesk companies go green by developing and managing effective online workteams – cutting carbon emissions by cutting commutes.

Menlo Park, CA – April 22, 2009 – In celebration of Earth Day, oDesk, the marketplace for online workteams, announced that they are sparing the environment 8,327 tons of CO2 annually by enabling workers to go green as they work-from-home and cut their daily commutes. Findings are based on 10,693 contractors who have used oDesk to work 2,767,209 hours from home last year.

The emissions savings was estimated using the carbon calculator at http://www.thegreenoffice.com/carboncalculator/calculator/.

A typical office with 100 workers produces more than 650 tons of carbon dioxide annually. By managing even a fraction of contractors, temps and freelance staff online, oDesk lets a business significantly reduce its carbon footprint. Savings encompass emissions costs generated by employee commutes, office energy and resource consumption, as well as pollution.

Online workers in the United States can also save more than $2,500 per year by avoiding a tedious commute. Cutting transportation costs and the misery of commuting helps companies retain workers. See additional commentary here:

http://www.odesk.com/blog/2009/04/odesk-earth-day-go-green-carbon-emissions

Other benefits of building online teams include access to larger talent pools and the ability to take advantage of rate differences between geographies. Additionally, establishing geographically dispersed teams can increase an organization’s capacity for production and 24/7 service, and help deal with brown outs, inclement weather, disaster recovery and business continuity following a catastrophic event.

“Earth Day means a lot to oDesk, because one benefit of online work is cutting the pollution caused by commuting,” said oDesk CEO Gary Swart. “Working online in virtual offices is a win for everyone: businesses save money from reduced overhead costs and increased retention, workers save time and money because of no commute, and we can all save the environment by working this way.”

About oDesk
oDesk (www.oDesk.com) is the marketplace for online workteams, with the best model for both buyers and providers:

For buyers: Guaranteed work — every hour billed is an hour worked. Screen captures of each provider’s desktop taken at random intervals enable buyers to audit the hours and work completed so they have confidence that every hour billed by a remote team member is an hour worked. This capability also enables the buyer to collaborate more closely and redirect the provider if necessary, much like you do when you manage by walking around the office.

For providers: Guaranteed payment — every hour worked is an hour paid, without the hassle of invoicing or slow-paying clients, making oDesk the preferred marketplace for more than 235,000 professional contractors, including software engineers, web developers, graphic designers, writers, researchers, admins and customer service agents.

Contact:

Elizabeth Gordon
Gordon Public Relations
elizabeth {at} gordonpr(.)com
415-595-5538