Sustainability

We embrace sustainability in our business practices and legal work. We have multiple attorneys designated as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Accredited Professionals, who employ their distinct knowledge of sustainable practices in several disciplines. Starting with the selection of our current office space in a LEED gold and ENERGY STAR certified building, we have made an intentional and wide-ranging practice of incorporating sustainable policies and procedures in our office operations, including:

 

  • Intelligent Commuting– Our offices are in a core urban area with ready access to public transportation systems and extensive carpool, vanpool, and ride-share programs. Our building management supports these programs, and we provide financial incentives to our employees to utilize public transportation.
  • Recycling– Recycling receptacles are located throughout our offices. We provide for designated collection of batteries and other materials that require specialized disposal, and our building management sponsors periodic collections of electronic items for recycling.
  • Paper and Printing Management– The paperless office is a worthy ideal, but the reality in a law firm is that paper consumption happens. What we can control is obtaining our paper from recycled and rapidly renewable sources, encouraging less printing, and using duplex and draft printing modes when possible. Over time, our firm has drastically increased its use of electronic records and decreased usage of paper.
  • Purchasing Practices– We take environmental considerations into account in the purchasing of our supplies and equipment. We utilize environmentally friendly and recycled materials and durable, energy efficient products. Our cleaning supplies are eco-friendly products. Our vendors know that we consider their sustainability practices in making our choice of providers.
  • Reduction of Waste– Waste not, want not – or at least generate less trash that must go somewhere. We emphasize the use of glassware and ceramics for beverage services, serve filtered instead of bottled water, and applaud reusable lunch containers in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint.
  • Energy Reduction– CFL lighting, motion sensors and nagging to turn off lamps and shut down monitors all contribute to minimizing electrical energy use and energy costs. Energy performance ratings are required reading for every acquisition of plug-in office equipment.