I had my work-from-home zone set up in our casita at the beginning of the pandemic, and even though the light in there was great and the space was comfortable, colorful, and inspiring, I noticed that it was a high-traffic area that my whole family used for lots of purposes (Zoom school, hanging out, reading, jamming on our instruments, etc.), which made it a little difficult to focus during meetings, so I moved my office into one of the less frequently used rooms in our home. It is a room that my daughter occasionally watches TV in, but otherwise, it’s a quiet place where I can focus and get work done more efficiently. Switching things up also makes a space feel fresh because you get the energy in the room moving and flowing differently. It’s amazing what a little seating (even a pouf or a blanket on the ground), a side table, some plants, and string lights can do to dress an outdoor space up and make it an inviting outdoor living space. Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
