Meritas Leadership Institute Sustainability Project Presentation

by David Scott

On May 8, I gave a presentation at the annual convention of the Meritas organization about why sustainability matters to lawyers (Meritas is an international affiliation of about 6,000 lawyers in 80 different countries throughout the world). Basically, the reason why sustainability matters to lawyers is pretty simple: Because it matters to our clients. The more detailed reason why sustainability matters to lawyers is essentially a function of the “triple bottom line,” meaning: 1. people, 2. planet, 3. profits.

People, or businesses, want their attorneys to understand them and/or their business. If their industry is evolving (or, in some cases, being created) by emerging sustainability trends, then it may be important for their lawyer understand the unique challenges they face and, ideally, be positioned to help them meet those challenges. Trying to gain that understanding was one of the primary purposes of the Meritas presentation.

The planet needs all the help that it can get these days. No matter what your political or personal beliefs or value system, there is no debating that we have a finite amount of natural resources and we are using many of those resources at rates that are not sustainable. So I see no downside to increasing efficiency and reducing waste. There are many ways that lawyers can become more responsible global partners and my Meritas group created the “Green Guide” to detail steps that law firms can take to be more sustainable. If you would like a copy of the Green Guide, just let me know and I’m happy to email you a copy.

No matter how worthwhile the goal of sustainability may be, at the end of the day law firms are still businesses and the goal is to be profitable. Our presentation explained why sustainability and profitability are not incompatible. We found the opposite to be true. More efficient and less wasteful practices save money. Unique and/or innovative practices generate media attention and free publicity. Like-minded clients (and potential clients) gravitate toward firms that share their values … which takes us full circle back to the “people” aspect.

I feel truly fortunate to be part of an organization like Meritas that sees the value of sustainability, to be part of a firm that supports Meritas’ mission, and to have met the outstanding group of people that contributed to our presentation.

Special recognition goes to our outstanding group of panelists and our moderator. In alphabetical order, the panel included Josh Arnold, JD, MBA, LEED AP, of 360 Green, Inc. Josh has dedicated the last 15 years of his professional life to the interplay between sustainability and business, he teaches a course on the subject at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he has consulted on construction projects totaling over $3 Billion. Panelist David Fitch is the President and CEO of Gables Residential, a privately owned REIT, which owns, develops and manages multi-family communities and mixed-use developments, as well as provides furnished corporate and short-term apartment accommodations nationwide. Gables has implemented a host of green initiatives and stands on the front lines of the green construction revolution. Panelist Mark Hall is the Senior Vice President of Environmental Power Corporation, a developer, owner and operator of clean energy production facilities. Environmental Power is on the vanguard of the renewable energy movement and Mark offered a fascinating discussion of anaerobic digestion. Panelist Jim Lime is the Vice President of Environment and Safety at Con Agra. Jim is an eloquent speaker and delivered a highly informative presentation about the impact of sustainability with respect to the supplier’s code of conduct being implemented by industry giants such as Wal-Mart. Panelist Michael Manuel is the Chair and founder of the Climate Change and Resource Conservation practice group at the Chicago law firm of Goldberg Kohn. Michael’s establishment of this group over a year ago speaks to his vision and dedication to emerging sustainability trends and the legal repercussions. Last but not least, our moderator was J.D. Head, managing partner of Fritz, Byrne, Head & Harrison, PLLC in Austin, Texas. J.D. practices environmental and administrative law and did an excellent job keeping things on point and moving along.

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Luper Neidenthal & Logan named SWACO Board of Trustees Emerald Award Winners!

We are very proud to announce that Luper Neidenthal and Logan was the recipient of the SWACO Board of Trustee Emerald Award!

Awards are also given individually under five other categories of leadership, innovation, partnership, entrepreneurship, and environmental education. However, the winner of the Board of Trustee Award must meet all of the criteria in the five other categories. SWACO awards the Board of Trustee Emerald Award to companies that are innovative and have unprecedented achievements in Environmental Stewardship and Leadership.

Roger Whitaker, Nicole Vanderdoes, and Amanda Bucha attended the event that drew approximately 500 people. Mike Jackson of NBC 4 was the master of ceremonies, and actor Ed Begley, Jr. (of St Elsewhere, Boston Legal, HGTV’s “Living with Ed”, among many more) was the Keynote Speaker. While describing our efforts in the award presentation, SWACO mentioned our Thinking Globally Acting Locally initiative, our proprietary software, our paperless system, our recycling efforts, our double-sided copying policy, our use of recycled paper, and that we were the first Ohio law firm to be named a Climate Challenge Partner by the American Bar Association.

We would like to congratulate the other winners of the SWACO Emerald Awards!!

Other winners under the 5 other categories were:

• Leadership: ReSTORE of the Columbus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity
• Innovation : White Castle Restaurants
• Environmental Education: The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (My House at Habitat Hollow exhibit) and the Ohio State University William Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park
• Entrepreneurship: E-cycle
• Partnership: The Waste Not Center
• Litter Clean-Up: Adena Brook Community

We also thank all of our employees for their cooperation as we have implemented these changes in our office. We know it’s not always easy to make changes, but as speaker Ed Begley, Jr. said, “We can do this!”

We encourage others to start making eco-conscious changes today!




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