COLPM 2010 Annual Meeting

Sustainability defined…..

Paraphrasing the United Nation’s Brundtland Commission (1987) definition, sustainability entails meeting the “Triple Bottom Line” of economic, social and environmental responsibility. It is about fostering respect for people and other living things while at the same time wisely using and managing environmental and economic resources.

Core Areas of Sustainability

Energy conservation Paper reduction Recycling Greenhouse gas

reduction Improve morale Diversity initiatives

Environmentally conscious purchases

Sustainable practices Education Support for

environmental conservation

LEED

Doing the right thing; not 100% altruistic

While using sustainable practices is the right thing to do, it also makes “cents”.– Walmart reduced solid waste by 57% between

2008 and 2009 – GE Ecomagination project: saved $100MM and

reduced emissions by 41%– Nike: 3 to make 2; waste costs of $700MM/year

LEED impact on morale and productivity

Improved health with better IAQ Improved lighting Carnegie Mellon University, Center for

Building Performance:Productivity gains of 7.1% with lighting control,

1.8% with ventilation control, 1.2% with thermal

control. Measured tasks were typing, addition, proof reading, reading comprehension, creative thinking.

You might be more green than you think…

What is under the umbrella?– Libraries– Smaller offices– Diversity– EDD

What does it mean?????

How big is the elephant in the room? How can my office make that much of a

difference? How can we get started?

– Reduce– Reuse– Recycle

And why should I care?

The Triple Bottom Line….– Economics– Social– Environmental responsibility (global warming??)

a/k/a, the 3 P’s: People, Planet, Profits And speaking of profits…..

Clients are demanding it...

ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge Program

ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Started in March, 2007 with 7 pilot firms September, 2010: 230+ firms, legal

departments, law schools

Law Office Climate Challenge: key components

WasteWise Green Power Partnership ENERGY STAR

Oregon State Bar Association

Oregon Lawyers for a Sustainable Future

OLSF has developed six documents and supplemental materials that can serve as resources for the law office that seeks to support sustainable internal practices.

Assists other states with sustainability programs

www.earthleaders.org

Impact?????

4.39 pounds 650 pounds 500 cups

(Source: Clean Air Council)

Impact?????

Buildings account for:– 40% of our energy use– 70% of our electricity– 40% of CO2 emissions– 15% of our water resources

Impact????

Arnold and Porter informal survey: attorneys use 20,000 to 100,000 sheets of paper per year– 100, 000 sheets = ½ ton– 1 ton of paper (if recycled) yields 9 tons of CO2

emissions; 11 tons if not recycled

Part of the MGKF mission…..

When you can practice what you preach:

– committed to providing the highest quality legal services to our clients, while also acting as responsible stewards for the environment and providing a collegial, family-friendly workplace for all of our attorneys and staff.

The benefits

Making a difference By walking the walk, recognition as “experts”

and Kool-Aid drinkers Credibility with

– clients– community– employees

Setting the example in the office leads to….

More involvement in recycling at home Food and yard waste composting Bike to work E-cycling in municipalities Green purchases Buy fresh, by local

What we do at MGKF….

Have been using legal pads made from recycled paper since 1989.

Gradually migrated all paper to recycled content. Implemented Green Lights program in 1995. 2 receptacles at each desk or workstation Landlord collects “clean trash” and bottles and cans. Recycle Tyvek envelopes and batteries

More stuff that we do….

Converted most laser printers to duplex “2-sided” reminders at all copiers Periodic sustainability e-mail reminders Sustainability “police” Vending machine power misers Healthy snacks: buy fresh, buy local (seasonal) Use of E-waste vendors Electronic monthly reports

And even more stuff

Green renovations – smaller offices Host a Sustainability Directors Roundtable Landlord – new exterior lighting

– Reduction of 23 tons of CO2 per year– ROI of 29 months– $5,700 per year energy savings

Community outreach

Co-chair of Philadelphia’s Sustainability Task Force

$5,000 annual grant for Environmental Community Services school program

Green practices presentations to clients, professional associations

Financial Impact - Downside

Solutions not always cheaper– Typically higher costs for:

recycled paper (+20% to 30%, although improving) green power (+ $25/month for an average home) CFL’s (+ 4x to 5x) Duplex printing trays (+ $200-$300) Initial outlay for lighting retrofit

Financial Impact - Upside

Duplex printing and copying– 30-40% reduction in paper utilization

Lighting (per EPA statistics)

– CFLs save over 60% over incandescent bulbs– EPA Green Lights Program saving $10,000 per year for

20,000 sq ft office

Office equipment, computers, appliances– EPA Energy Star rated saves up to 50% in energy

utilization, generally no additional cost for Energy Star rated items

Financial Impact - Upside

Vending machine power management/timers– saving 1,100 kWh per year, approximate savings

of $94 per machine

Electronic Newsletters– saving 20 cases of paper, $9,300 in postage – indirect cost savings for landfill disposal fees and

fuel savings (hard dollars and lower emissions)

Environmental Impact

1,150,000 attorneys (ABA estimate)– 20K sheets per year per attorney– 23 billion sheets or 4.6 million cases

If we could achieve a 30% reduction, consider the impact….

Even the Champagne makers…

7% carbon reduction, 2,400 more bottles per truck

Haynes and Boone,Victory Park headquarters

For one month (January, 2009):– $675 in landfill expenses– 43 metric tons of debris and paper– Saving:

255 trees 5,700 gallons of oil 10,500 gallons of water 61,500 kilowatts of power

(source: Texas Bar Journal, April 2009)

Environmental Impact

MGKF, 20,000 square feet of office space, Green Lights program = 95 tons of CO2

emissions saved, not to mention $10,000 per year in energy savings

Recommendation