Leaving less of a trace behind – guidance in going green

Going green in the office is smart business for a number of reasons—clients are demanding it, it can save a firm money, and it leaves a smaller carbon footprint, benefiting generations to come.

To provide guidance and set a framework for law firms, the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, in conjunction with the Law Practice Management Section—and working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—launched the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge.

Law firms may participate in the challenge in one of two ways: 1) adopt best practices for office paper management; or 2) participate in at least one of three voluntary EPA partnership programs. Now, 1-1/2 years into the project, more than 100 law firms have taken the challenge.

The Law Office Climate Challenge Best Practices encompasses the following elements:

• Ensure that 90 percent of all types of copier, printer and other papers have at least 30 percent post-consumer recycled content.
• Recycle 90 percent of discarded mixed office paper, such as white copier and printed paper.
• Institute a policy of double-sided printing and copying for draft and internal copies.

In addition, law firms may undertake one or more of EPA partnership programs. These include:

• Participating in EPA’s WasteWise program, which encourages organizations to save energy by reducing solid waste, including paper waste. A law office may develop a plan that entails elements of the best practices, above, to reduce waste, and then register with WasteWise.
• Participating in EPA’s Green Power Partnership program by purchasing energy from renewable sources to cover at least a portion of its electricity usage.
• Participating in EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, which encourages law offices to reduce energy by purchasing ENERGY-STAR-designated equipment and through implementation of better energy management practices.

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