advocates for civility in divorce.

The Carbon-Neutral Law Firm

Austin Lawyer, February 2010
 

When attorney Lea Noelke celebrated the birth of his first grandchild last year, he felt inspired to recommit to environmental stewardship. Concerned about the potentially catastrophic effects of global warming, Noelke raised the issue to his partners and staff at Noelke English Maples St. Leger. Together they decided to first take steps to reduce the five-attorney firm’s energy use and increase “green” practices. Then they would purchase carbon offsets for remaining greenhouse gas emissions, to make the family law firm “carbon neutral.”

     Spearheaded by Noelke, a green team began meeting to discuss changes the firm could make. As a guiding policy, attorneys and staff developed a firm eco-stewardship mission statement:

We seek to conserve natural resources. We believe that mindfulness of the needs of future generations is an extension of our professional work addressing the needs of families. We see that the time is now to "reduce, reuse, recycle” at every opportunity. At the office and at home, we seek ways to conserve energy and water, while reducing pollution, trash and greenhouse gas emissions. We hope to lead by our “green” example.

     “The staff has really bought in,” said Noelke. “It gives people a sense of contributing, for the greater good.” He noted that staff pushed the hardest for becoming a paperless office; they also collected other recommendations. Those adopted include:

• Always turn off computers at night
• Turn off other office equipment, when not in use
• Use low-energy lighting (CFL’s)
• Rely on natural light, and turn off indoor lights whenever possible
• When using the copier, make two-sided copies
• Purchase only paper supplies with recycled content
• Reuse and recycle file folders and cardboard
• Stock only enviro-friendly cleaning supplies
• Use rechargeable batteries; put batteries into special recycling bin
• Reduce paper products use in the kitchen
• Purchase only Energy Star rated appliances and equipment

     “Turning off the lights and computers is just a habit you develop, and then it’s automatic – like buckling your seatbelt,” said Noelke. “Now we’re saving on copy paper and letterhead too. So climate action is a great way to lower a firm’s overhead costs as well.”

     The law firm is seeing numerous other benefits from its initiative to go paperless, which it began a year ago. “Clients get almost no paper from us – we do everything electronically and by e-mail now,” said Noelke. With all files on a hard drive, “We never have to go look for a file. Clients like it, because we now e-mail them copies of everything, and it’s really efficient for the lawyers.” Having all files accessible electronically also allows for telecommuting; a staff member with a sick child can easily work from home.

     Next the firm engaged Green Mountain Energy to calculate its remaining carbon footprint; to offset the firm’s annual electricity use, NEMS purchased 109 MWh of renewable energy credits – an offset equal to about 144,300 lbs of CO2 emissions. To offset all other carbon emissions associated with running the office, including driving, NEMS also made a donation to a certified program, which will fund the propagation and planting of 156 new trees.

     “While we’re a fairly small firm, it feels good to know we’re doing our own small part for climate protection,” said Noelke. “We’d love to hear from other Austin law firms that are taking steps to become more sustainable,” he added. “Together we can help reduce the local demand for electricity, help make Central Texas’ air cleaner, and support the city’s Austin Climate Protection Program.”

Take the Climate Challenge

     Noelke’s firm is following a national trend. The “Law Office Climate Challenge,” a joint project of the American Bar Association and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was begun in March 2007. It has attracted over 200 participants, including five law schools. Firms recognized for taking the challenge report that it earns them goodwill with corporate clients that also have committed to sustainability programs. (See www.abanet.org/environ/climatechallenge.)

     Law firms can enroll in the climate challenge by committing to one or more elements of a three-part plan: 1) reduce paper waste, 2) increase energy efficiency, and 3) purchase green power. The impact can be significant: One Washington, D.C. law firm reported consuming about 100,000 sheets of paper per attorney annually, which translates to about 11 tons of GHG emissions per lawyer – from paper alone.

     In 2008, Gardere Wynne Sewell became the first Texas law firm to join the Climate Challenge, committing to follow the practices in its Austin, Dallas and Houston offices. The firm’s projections showed it could save $14,000 annually by following Climate Challenge practices across the firm, which has over 580 people (including the Mexico City office). Austin partner Kim Yelkin said, “We’re working to be a leader.” Changes made in the local office, which has 15 people, include eliminating styrofoam cups and water bottles; instead they use mugs and glasses that are washed each day, and added a filtered water system. They also got their building manager to change to energy-light bulbs. Like Noelke, Yelkin reports that employees were excited about the program: “We have a lot of younger people, and the notion of being environmentally responsible was embraced. I think everyone wants to do their small part to help the environment - they realize that collectively we can have an impact.”

     Noelke suggested that firms in lease space ask building management to install motion-sensitive lights. Ideally, he said, office buildings should install individual thermostats – then pass on the savings from reducing energy use. Firms can ask landlords to install bicycle racks, or set up a carpooling list-serve for all tenants; they can ask their janitorial service to use only eco-friendly cleaning products.

     “We’d love to hear from other Austin law firms that are taking steps to become more sustainable,” said Noelke. “Together we can help reduce the local demand for electricity, help make Central Texas’ air cleaner, and support the city’s Austin Climate Protection Program.”

     He added, “While we’re a fairly small firm, it feels good to know we’re doing our own small part for climate protection.”    AL

Katherine Gregor writes frequently on climate action, and assists firms with community-involvement programs.

Recommendations from the ABA Climate Challenge:

To enroll in the ABA Climate Challenge (or just follow it informally) a firm commits to take these actions:

• Reduce paper waste: Switch to double-sided printing and copying; buy paper with recycled content; increase recycling
• Join WasteWise: Firms join this EPA program, adopt best practices for office paper management, and quantify the benefits
• Join Energy Star: Firms become partners in this EPA program, adopting an energy management plan designed for law offices, and setting a goal to reduce electricity use by at least 10%.
• Use Green Power: Firms can join an EPA Partnership program, to purchase and support renewable energy. They buy at least 2 percent of their power from renewable sources or renewable energy credits.

     Measurable goals include:

• Make sure that at least 90% of all paper products contain at least 30% recycled content
• Recycle at least 90% of all office paper, folders and envelopes
• Use double-sided copying as the default mode on copy machines
• Reduce overall energy use by at least 10%

     The ABA also has a “Model Law Firm Sustainability Policy Project” that includes climate change and other environmental impacts as well as social responsibility elements. Pilot firms benefit from using the model’s policy guidelines and checklist. See www.abanet.org/environ/committees/climatechange/ModelLaw/about.shtml.

     In Austin, law firms also can become partners in Austin Energy’s Green Choice Renewable Energy Program. Small firms already enrolled in the program, which supports wind power, include Scanlon, Buckle & Young; Arnold and Associates; Greenstein & Kolker; Gretchen E. Raatz; Leon J. Barish, and Stephen G. Nagle. Firms that lease space, and don’t pay their electricity bills directly, can ask their property manager or landlord to sign up with Green Choice.