There is a genuine passion for sustainability that is easily recognizable in the heart and streets of our city, Austin, TX. The people here are full of passion, and a large part of that is aimed towards environmental sustainability. Uniqueness and green living is encouraged in Austin, and The Human Solution is no different.

One of the biggest challenges for a business is maintaining a balance between monetary success and environmental sustainability. Each person at The Human Solution holds sustainability in high regard, and this shared belief leaks into every facet of our company. The majority of our operations occur online, so we use very little paper, and the paper we do use is recycled in one of the numerous recycle bins scattered about our facility. These bins are subsequently emptied into our recycling dumpster, who is, as you can see in the photo to the right, happy to oblige.

We strive to operate as greenly as possible, and we’re always searching for ways to minimize our carbon footprint. Our shipping supplies, for example, are seasoned travelers since we reuse boxes, pallets, and packing peanuts. Our in-house packing peanuts are made from corn and are water-soluble.

Many of our suppliers, such as Humanscale and Steelcase, embrace environmentalism in their production processes as well. Humanscale begins with environmentally-conscious design and a minimalist perspective resulting in smart and simple products that use less of our Earth’s limited resources. Humanscale’s new Diffrient World Chair is a perfect example of this because it is made of 34% recycled material, is 97% recyclable, and uses only eight major parts resulting in an incredibly sturdy chair weighing in at only 25 pounds.

Thanks to this approach, Humanscale products require fewer parts and manufacturing processes than most other companies which equates to more conserved energy. The lifespan of their products is also extended due to their high level of craftsmanship, making the most of the materials used. When possible, Humanscale uses 100% recycled aluminum, something found in Humanscale’s monitor arms. Recycled aluminum saves 95% of the energy and 95% of the carbon emissions required to create new aluminum.

Steelcase, too, has its philosophy deeply rooted in sustainability, exemplified in part by their Life Cycle Assessment which evaluates a product’s impact on the environment from gathering the materials for production to an item’s recyclability. The Steelcase Leap Chair, for example, is made of 30% recycled content and is 98% recyclable. Steelcase goes even further, too, with their Phase 2 Program that assists in the disposal and recycling of their products in an effort to meet their “zero landfill” goal.

Humanscale and Steelcase products also contribute a great deal to achieving LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, certification, which measures sustainability, the potential environmental impact of businesses and systems, in addition to accounting for regional ecology.

As you peruse our web site, you’ll find even more examples of companies taking the initiative in sustaining the Earth and its resources. Ergonomics and sustainability? Together? Who knew you could have your cake and eat it, too? That is, as long as it’s a green cake.

Here at The Human Solution, we sometimes get questions concerning our height-adjustable desks from healthcare professionals and assisted living facilities regarding the best desk for wheelchair-bound users. While most users need a height-adjustable desk for its sit-stand capabilities in order to reap the ergonomic and health benefits of periodically standing when working, for some users the concern is a matter of getting the desk to a comfortable seated height. These users also require the kind of leg space underneath the desk that many sit-stand desks with a crossbar tend to impede.

Luckily, our new UpLift 700 Sit-Stand Desk Base answers both of these concerns. The base has a quiet and quick height adjustment range of 26” to 45.7”, making it a breeze to get the desktop to the perfect height. And its crossbar-free design frees up valuable leg space, as well as space for accessories such as a keyboard tray. A keyboard tray or monitor arm can also aid a user in a wheelchair in getting their computer even closer to them, cutting down on reach and eye strain which can cause more health issues.

The UpLift 800 is a similar model that does have a crossbar, but is still hidden enough as to not obstruct leg space. And its height range is even more substantial, going from 21” to 47” in mere seconds. Both the 700 and 800 models can come with either a butcher block top, or one of our beautiful locally-made solid wood tops.

Not only can healthcare and assisted living professionals recommend this to those using a wheelchair, but of course to anyone who would like to improve their health and activity with a sit-stand desk. So whether you need to easily adjust the seated height, or fight off an early death by periodically standing, check out our UpLift desks. As always, you can email info@thehumansolution.com, hop into live chat, or call us at 800-531-3746 with any questions or to place an order.

When people call us about monitor arms, they have many questions. How will this monitor arm attach to my desk? How will my monitor attach to this monitor arm? Will this monitor arm support my oversized monitor? What if I want to attach more monitors later?

That last question is the most difficult to answer. For many monitor arms, the answer is no. For others, numerous parts may be needed and it may not be obvious which ones they are.

For people who want a single or dual monitor arm now and may want to add more monitors to their set-up later, The Human Solution is excited to offer a brand new option that makes this easy. The Humanscale M/Flex Monitor Arm allows users to swap parts to create a truly customized solution.

Start with a one monitor solution and add brackets and end up with a six monitor solution. (The post will support up to 120 lbs).  Like Humanscale’s keyboard tray systems, the M/Flex Monitor Arm is completely modular, so you don’t have to buy a completely different piece of hardware to accommodate growing business needs.

Simply choose whether you prefer a straight or fully adjustable monitor arm, the height of the pole you’d like, and the finish that will look best in your home or office. You may still have questions, and if you do, give us a call at 800-531-3746.

In a recent interview with NPR, Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times Phys Ed columnist and author of the new book The First 20 Minutes, spoke at length about the negative effects sitting all day can have on your health.

“Sitting for long periods of time — when you don’t stand up, don’t move at all — tends to cause changes physiologically within your muscles,” says Reynolds. “You stop breaking up fat in your bloodstream, you start getting accumulations of fat … in your liver, your heart and your brain. You get sleepy. You gain weight. You basically are much less healthy than if you’re moving.”

To combat this, Reynolds suggests taking a two-minute standing break at least once every twenty minutes, such as standing while the on the phone. “I read standing up,” she says. “I try and walk down the hall once an hour. I walk outside and turn around and walk back in. That’s enough to break up the physiological changes that sitting otherwise causes.”

For years, The Human Solution has offered products and advice on how to counteract the toll that sitting all day can take on your body. Our Adjustable Height Desks are an ideal solution to this issue since they can respond to your body’s needs, rather than forcing your body to fit into a non-ergonomic workspace. With a sit-stand desk like the UpLift 700 Electric Sit-Stand Desk, you’ll have your workspace turned into an upright working space in a matter of seconds, so you won’t be fettered to a chair, but be free to move about your office.

“If you can also walk around your office, you get even more benefits. You will lose weight, you lessen your chance of heart disease, and you will improve your brain,” Reynolds said. Standing often also decreases your chances of getting diabetes and “changes how your body responds physiologically.”

Work is unpredictable, and the breaks you had every intention of taking can be tossed aside in favor of an important project with a tight deadline. In this case, we’ve developed the UpLift Treadmill Desk allowing you to walk, stand, and improve your health without missing a beat at work. A day’s full of walking could net you anywhere from 4 to 20 miles, although Reynolds says just fifteen minutes can decrease your risk for heart disease and diabetes.

“But if you can do nothing else,” Reynolds says, “stand up!”

Click here to view the full interview on NPR.org.

Ergonomic mouse recommendations can be tricky. There are many factors that contribute to pain in the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, and shoulder. Two of the most common are pronating and “clamping”. Pronation is a fancy way of saying that your arm is extended too far, for too long. In the wild, the human arm will be found by the side of its governing body, relaxed.  In captivity, a person will reach for his or her mouse, tensing the muscles, causing more damage than realized. “Clamping” is an unscientific term that I find accurately represents the grip that most people put on the mouse. For an idea of what it looks like, please visit our monitor arm section and take a look at the clamp mounts.

While it’s true that any conventional mouse will require a certain kind of grip and that some will cause more strain than others, a flat mouse causing more strain than a vertical mouse, for example, there really is only one kind of alternative if you want to completely eliminate that tendency. PC Magazine recently published a positive review of the MouseTrapper Advance Mouse. We agree with many of the points made in the review, although I take issue with the fact that the review seems geared toward computer users who don’t have a need to use the mouse. Maybe the learning curve is inconvenient for some, but for many computer users who are in pain, the MouseTrapper is an excellent option. I feel that the learning curve issue is somewhat overblown. It doesn’t take long to master.

When people call and ask for some kind of mousing alternative due to Carpal Tunnel or general wrist pain, the MouseTrapper Advance Mouse is the first option that I suggest. The MouseTrapper Advance Mouse enables users to place their hand in a relaxed position and guide the cursor by moving it to the left or the right, and rolling the bar forward and backward, with no clamping at all. This prevents many types of stress that can cause an RSI. We at The Human Solution prefer it, for example, over the Contour Rollermouse, and it seems the editors at PC Magazine agree. Compare their review of the MouseTrapper with their review of the Contour Rollermouse. You’ll see that the Rollermouse comes out on top.

For those in search of an ergonomic keyboard with both PC and Mac capabilities, The Human Solution now offers the Goldtouch V2 Adjustable Keyboard for PC and Mac GTU-0088. Replacing and improving on the discontinued GTU-MACB, which was a Mac-only model, the new Goldtouch V2 for PC and Mac gives you “plug-and-play” compatibility with both types of operating systems without a need to install drivers or new software.

The GTU-0088 gives you all the features you’ve come to expect from a Goldtouch ergonomic keyboard that can also be found in the PC-only GTN-0099 model – a compact size, low-force keys with a short travel distance, and the unique Goldtouch tenting feature. That last one is what sets the Goldtouch apart from most other ergonomic split keyboards – while most others require an accessory to be able to tilt the split halves at an angle, Goldtouch keyboards come with a patented ball and lever locking design which allows you to tent your keyboard quickly and easily without having to buy any separate accessories.

Of course, if you’re reading this, then it’s the dual PC and Mac compatibility that’s the big selling point of this model, and the aforementioned plug-and-play capability makes it easy to switch back and forth between either operating system. The keys feature both Windows and Mac legends and hotkeys, and the keyboard is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista and 7, as well as Mac OS 10.4 and higher.

Adding an ergonomic keyboard is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of making your home or office workstation more ergonomic, and the benefits are almost immediate. The compact size of an ergonomic keyboard brings other peripherals like a mouse closer to you, cutting down on reaching and reducing shoulder abduction. The horizontal split and vertical angled tenting put your hands, wrists and shoulders in a more relaxed, natural position, which also cuts down on the pain issues associated with typing. Also, the soft, low-force keys and 4 mm travel distance help to keep you from “bottoming out” – having to push the key all the way down – which is another cause of repetitive stress pain issues associated with typing.

So if you want the comfort and configurability of a split and tented ergonomic keyboard with the added convenience of both PC and Mac capabilities, the Goldtouch V2 GTU-0088 is an ideal solution. As always, if you want more information, would like to order, or would like a quote on multiple quantities to fit out an entire office with ergonomic keyboards and make your office a whole lot healthier, you can always email us at info@thehumansolution.com, call us at 1-800-531-3726, or hop into live chat and we will be happy to help you take your first steps on the road to a more ergonomic workstation.

For those not lucky enough to have a gym at their workplace, The Human Solution offers a variety of low cost active workstation accessories to help you stay fit at the office.

From balance boards to foam rollers, we’ve got you covered for fun, effective and safe low-impact office workouts you can do every day right at your desk. The following items pair perfectly with our line of ergonomic Uplift sit-stand desks, which allow you to go from a sitting to a standing working position with the push of a button, helping you become more active, increasing energy, blood flow and focus, and helping you burn more calories throughout the day.

Uplift Twist Board – Burn those calories while working with these slim and easy-to-use rotating twist boards. Here’s how they work: While standing at your sit-stand desk, just stand on the boards and twist your feet in and out and back and forth while standing in place. The exercise will work your calf and thigh muscles and help you burn calories with the simple twisting action. It’s almost like skiing. Indoors. Without skis. While staring at a computer. Make sure to get two of these (one for each foot) to get the best results.

Uplift Balance Board – Work your leg muscles and perfect your posture and precision with this active balance board. The balance board features a rounded base and a flat surface for your feet. Your job is to stand on the flat board surface and shift from one side to another, taking care not to lose your balance, activating leg and thigh muscles you don’t normally use in an office environment. The textured surface will prevent slipping, making this a great and safe way to burn calories.

Uplift Balancing Exercise Disc – Similar to the Uplift Balance Board, this exercise disc can be used as a balancing disk that you stand on. You can work your core by subtly shifting your balance and weight back and forth while standing on the disc. This inflatable accessory also features several more uses: Use it as a seat cushion or as a workout accessory for doing leg lifts, lunges, push-ups or crunches. The textured surface makes sure you won’t slip while working out at your office. Make sure to pick up the Uplift Needle Nose Pump to keep your disc inflated.

Uplift High Density Extra Firm Foam Roller – Use this high-quality roller for a variety of office exercises. From stretching exercises to strength training and core workouts, foam rollers are known as one of the most versatile workout accessories on the market. This roller is light but sturdy and made from high-grade molded polyethylene foam, ensuring it’ll last long and will be easy to use and to move around.

Looking for the best work-out-at-your-desk solution? Take a look at our Uplift Treamill Desk, which pairs one of our most popular adjustable height desks with a high-quality treadmill designed for office use.

With airlines charging more than they’d like to admit for carry-on luggage, and with the already limited space (if one could call it that) offered on planes, ergonomics and travel seldom go hand-in-hand. Not so with the Mousetrapper Flexible, which has three months of battery life with each charge, in addition to a durable neoprene case, making it a worthy travel companion.

The Mousetrapper mice are non-traditional in the sense that they rest in front of your keyboard, keeping your arms from reaching outside of the center of your body, preventing neck and back strain as a result. The approach is similar to a track pad like that on the Macbook, but with a much more ergonomic mousing surface. Hard clickable pads have the potential to cause fingertip numbness which can lead to permanent sensory issues. In an effort to combat this, the Mousetrapper Flexible has made clicking and scrolling ergonomic. The mousing surface moves up and down in an infinite loop, much like a treadmill, on top of sliding laterally. The lattice-like design gives a near-zero resistance as you are pressing into empty space making clicking safe. The surface area of the mousing surface is identical to the one found on the Mousetrapper Advance, so there are no sacrifices in functionality. In fact, the Flexible version offers more programmable buttons (eight versus five) that encircle the pad, each of which are customizable with Mousetrapper’s free, user-friendly MT Keys software.

With work and technology becoming more and more mobile, and airplanes smaller and smaller, the Mousetrapper Flexible is an ideal travel ergonomic mouse at only 12 inches wide, which is seven inches smaller than the Mousetrapper Advance. You’re also freed from any one computing position since your body is centered in front of your workspace, instead of askew as when your mouse is off to one side. When your finger or hand gets tired, just use the other—no mouse is friendlier to ambidextrous mousing than the Mousetrapper. All of these features, coupled with the button customization available, make it easier to navigate your computer while on the go.

This is a unique ergonomic mouse that assists in assuaging work-related pain like repetitive strain injuries, and can help prevent them from popping up in the first place. After all, ergonomics is all about making the journey, whether meeting a new client in Europe or making it to the end of the week, as comfortable for your body as possible.

When deciding whether to buy one of our Uplift 700 Solid Wood Electric Sit-Stand Desks or several hundred pounds of elk jerky, here are a few similarities and differences to consider. While one is a rugged, high-protein snack, the other is an increasingly popular workstation accessory. Mesquite wood will be involved in the production of many of our Custom Wood Desks, just as it will be used be in the curing process of many flavors of jerky. The jerky, despite its nutritional properties, will not last as long as a beautiful height adjustable desk in your living room, office or study. And, finally, and most importantly: Just as when you pull over to the roadside jerky stand, and you are not limited by the quantity of dried elk meat you can buy, neither are you confined by the size and shape of the wood desk you order from the desk experts at The Human Solution.

That’s right, blog readers, The Human Solution builds Solid Wood Desks of pretty much any size and shape. We do offer several standard rectangular configurations ranging in size from small to very large, and these seem to work for most people, but if you have a very specific vision in your mind, give us a call at 1-800-531-3746 and we’ll work with you to make it a reality.

Choose from a palette of Cedar, Mesquite, Alder, Ash, Cherry, Mahogany, Maple, Pecan, or Walnut and let us know the size and shape. If you have a drawing, even better. We specialize in helping customers find the solutions they need, so give us a call and let us know, or send us an email with your idea. Check out the picture below of the custom double L-shaped desk we helped design for a customer recently:

We’ve discussed the benefits of standing at work in several previous blog entries. To summarize: Taking a fifteen minute standing break for every hour you work will burn calories, make you more alert, and hopefully prevent you from dying.

For those looking for something purely functional, we recommend one of our Uplift Desks, such as the new Uplift 700 Laminate Electric Sit-Stand Desk, but for those looking for something a little more eye-catching and with more possibility to customize, the Solid Wood Desks are a great choice. And if you are in a hurry to get your desk, we do have some available for next-day shipping.

While there are many aspects of the The Human Solution’s Uplift Treadmill Desk that are certainly appealing – the ability to exercise at work and the many positive effects of doing so – there are some hesitations that come with a purchase like this as well. One of the main questions we get is, “But is it safe?” Whether it’s a concerned buyer or an employer who wants to outfit their employees with treadmills to increase the wellness of their workforce but doesn’t want to face any liability issues, we here at The Human Solution understand your concerns, and want to let you know they are our concerns as well.

Well, we’ve got good news: The Uplift Treadmill is actually safer than the average treadmill! In fact, when the Human Solution started selling our own Uplift model, our supplier had to jump through hoops to get liability insurance due to the relative newness of this type of product. Yet once the insurance underwriters completed their risk analysis, they found it to be safer than a traditional treadmill for the following reasons:

• The speed on the Uplift Treadmill is limited to 4.0 mph, and is typically only used at only 1.0 to 2.0 mph.

• The emergency shut-off cord can easily be attached to the user’s clothing in case of tripping.

• Users typically use their desk for support while walking, thus providing extra surface support in case of tripping.

So if you are worried about any safety issues with treadmill desks like the Uplift Treadmill Desk or the Steelcase Walkstation, know that someone in the early stages of development of these products was just as concerned as you. And to further ease your mind, since 2008 our treadmill supplier for the Uplift has had sales of over 6,000 units and has yet to hear of one accident related to the Uplift Treadmill.

So safety shouldn’t be a concern when contemplating the purchase of a treadmill desk. What should concern you are the negative effects of sitting in a chair all day. Our bodies weren’t meant to be that sedentary all day – we need to get up and move! What better way to get your work done while increasing alertness and blood flow and burning calories than with a desk treadmill? If you have any other questions or concerns, give us a call at (800) 531-3746, hop in live chat, or email info@thehumansolution.com and we will be happy to help you out.