Greening Your Law Firm

It’s important for businesses to go green to help combat climate change and save money. In our state, where we are at risk of hurricanes and sea level rise, it’s even more important for businesses and local government to take responsibility for their environmental impact. The American Bar Association and the Environmental Protection Agency have a program to help law offices reduce paper use, save energy, and support renewable energy. By making small changes each month, a law firm can make a big difference for the environment. To start greening your law firm, create a realistic greening plan. You can find an example plan on the Environmental and Land Use Law Section’s website at eluls.org/green-law-firm. Your plan should include communication with all employees, a timetable for new initiatives, progress reports, and openness to change. Make sure to market your green initiatives honestly, without “greenwashing. Choose people in each office to be green champions and survey the firm to see what environmental actions are already being taken. Share this information with employees and create a section on the firm’s intranet to explain existing and new green policies. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Start by using less energy at your school or workplace. Turn off lights and appliances when you’re not using them. Set a goal to use 10% less energy and check your progress regularly. You can even get recognized for your efforts! Encourage everyone to do their part and help the environment. It’s important because buildings use a lot of energy and contribute to climate change. So, let’s all do our part and turn off those lights! The law firm is making some changes to help the environment. Employees are being asked to turn off their computers when they’re not using them, and to use low-energy lightbulbs. They should also turn off any electronics and equipment when they’re not in use, and try to use products made from recycled materials. The firm is also looking into ways to offset their energy use and is encouraging everyone to join in on the effort to go green. Partner with local trade schools or recyclers to find new uses for old electronics and involve employees in brainstorming ideas. Create a policy to prioritize buying environmentally friendly products and join the EPA’s WasteWise Program for help. Look for products made with recycled materials and nontoxic supplies. Try to find disposable items that break down easily in landfills and use less paper in the office to save money and help the environment. Here are some tips to save paper in your office:
1. Send documents electronically instead of printing and mailing them.
2. Don’t print out email messages unless you really need to.
3. Use both sides of the paper when printing.
4. Use smaller font and wider margins when typing documents.
5. Edit and comment on documents electronically instead of printing them out.
6. Share magazine subscriptions with others to reduce the number of copies.
7. Recycle paper, cans, glass, and plastic in your office.
8. Ask your building manager about green services and devices.
These tips can help save paper and make your office more environmentally friendly. To reduce the environmental impact, the law firm can buy renewable energy credits, invest in sustainable investment plans, and encourage employees to make lifestyle changes like carpooling and using reusable products. This can help reduce the firm’s carbon footprint and make a positive impact on the environment. When marketing your green initiatives, make sure to provide clear and accurate information. Avoid greenwashing, which is when companies mislead consumers about their environmental practices or the benefits of their products. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is responsible for reviewing and regulating environmental marketing claims to ensure they are accurate. It’s important to be honest and transparent with your green initiatives to avoid misleading your clients. To be more eco-friendly, companies can buy carbon offsets to balance out their greenhouse gas emissions. This means they pay for projects that take carbon out of the air or prevent it from being released. When reporting this, companies should be clear about whether they are buying offsets directly or indirectly, and they should use terms like “carbon negative” and “carbon zero” only if they are directly reducing their own carbon emissions. It’s also important to make sure the offsets are registered in a reliable registry to make sure they actually help the environment. Before talking about environmentally friendly actions, make sure to use the right terms. Words like “green” and “sustainable” describe a lot of different products and services. People can get confused about what these words really mean, and some companies have been sued for saying their products are eco-friendly when they aren’t. Be careful when buying things that claim to be “green” or good for the environment. Some products have packaging or labels that make them seem environmentally friendly, even if they’re not. Look out for vague words like “sustainable” or “recyclable” and make sure you know what you’re really getting. Greening your law firm is a process that requires continuous effort and commitment. It involves things like reducing, reusing, and recycling, using less paper, and making your office more energy-efficient. You can start by creating a greening plan and a procurement policy, and encouraging employees to make environmentally friendly choices. There are resources available to help you with this, like the ABA’s Sustainable Law Offices website and the EPA’s Green Power Partnership Program. It’s important to take small steps and make changes over time, rather than trying to do everything at once. This text discusses the importance of reducing paper use and avoiding “greenwashing” in environmental marketing. It also mentions the Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines on environmental marketing claims and the potential issues with purchasing carbon offsets. The author, Nicole C. Kibert, is involved in sustainable development and green building projects. The column is submitted on behalf of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section.

Summary: This is an article about reducing paper use and being honest in environmental marketing. It also talks about guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission and potential problems with carbon offsets. The author, Nicole C. Kibert, is involved in sustainable development projects.

Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/greening-your-law-firm/