Article By David Scott
Read more!
Sep 16, 2009
"Local law firms find it's really easy to be green."
David Scott of Luper Neidenthal & Logan was recently interviewed by the Daily Reporter Newspaper in the article "Local law firms find it's really easy to be green."
Read more!
May 20, 2009
Thinking Globally: Columbus CEO features LNL’s global connections
Luper Neidenthal and Logan’s own David Scott was recently featured in a Columbus CEO Magazine story on law firm associations. LNL is Central Ohio’s only member of Meritas, an international affiliation of outstanding full-service commercial law firms. David was also the past chairman of Meritas’ “Leadership Institute,” which created the Green Guide for Lawyers, a “how-to” manual for law firms who seek to reduce waste and implement more sustainable office practices. The Green Guide has enjoyed national and international attention and David is currently pursuing an effort to update and revamp the Green Guide to make it an even more effective pro-sustainability tool.
May 1, 2009
Acting Locally: Change starts at (encouraging sustainable development for the) home.
On Thursday, April 23rd, Luper Neidenthal & Logan associate and LEED® AP Matt Bierlein was part of a panel presenting to the City of Worthington Architectural Review Board on the issue of alternative energy. The panelists included architects, solar entrepreneurs, and a solar financier. Matt presented on the subject of incentives and programs at the municipal level that are focused on encouraging sustainable development as well as the financial incentives for municipalities to promote such incentives and programs. The board took a strong interest in the presentation and on using the presentation to build momentum on the issue of alternative energy. Read more!
Apr 20, 2009
Acting Locally: LNL’s Urban Gardeners
In celebration of Earth Day 2009, a group of LNL’s green thumbs helped pluck weeds, tend soil, and plant seeds at Four Seasons City Farm near downtown Columbus. The effort was just one part of the Columbus Bar Association’s Green Committee’s push to help law firms do their part to adopt more sustainable practices in the office and throughout the community.
The urban garden trend is growing (no pun intended) for reasons that are social, political, economic and environmental. Columbus is starting to see the wisdom of cities like New York, Detroit and Youngstown, which are transforming properties that had been fertile ground for lawlessness & disorder into just plain fertile ground.
From a social perspective, blighted urban properties contribute to looting, vandalism and drug abuse. By razing abandoned buildings, and/or turning weed and junk-laden vacant lots into urban gardens, we create opportunities for healthy community interaction. Groups large and small, and people young and old, can come together to work the earth. Beyond turning an eyesore into a pleasant space, community gardens give back in the tangible form of healthy fruits and vegetables that are often unavailable in underserved areas.
From a political perspective, urban gardens are following the lead of our First Family. Michelle Obama heeded the call of over 10,000 people who signed off on the White House Organic Farm Project, which urged the newest White House occupants to set an example by growing a garden. They even created a blog to track the progress (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/04/09/Planting-the-Garden/).
Urban gardens yield a fantastic confluence of economic and environmental benefits. Blighted urban properties diminish already-diminutive property values. By transforming abandoned buildings and hardscapes into productive plots, we decrease pollution and stormwater runoff and we could increase the value of surrounding properties. Although I’m still waiting on some research to bear out the theory of increased property values, it stands to reason that a house abutting a pleasant open space will do better on the market than a property next to broken-down crack house.
Long story short, LNL is proud to have done its small part to promote community gardening in Columbus. There’s no bad reason to get in touch with your inner urban farmer!
Read more!
Apr 17, 2009
Important Upcoming Green Events
April 18th & 19th, 2009
Earth Day 2009: Picture This
various locations across Columbus
April 24th, 2009
Green Building School - Greening Affordable Homes
May 1st, 2009
Green Building School - Green Landscaping
April 30th - May 3rd, 2009
42nd Annual EECO Conference
Deer Creek State Park
May 19th, 2009
Green Building Expo & Get Green Business Conference
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center
Ohio State University CampusBuilding 191,
2201 Fred Taylor Drive,
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Read more!
Mar 13, 2009
Self-Stimulation: What does the federal stimulus bill mean to me?
The unprecedented availability of federal stimulus money, particularly in the realm of green energy and efficiency, could be a tremendous opportunity if one knows how to gain access. The State of Ohio recently launched www.recovery.ohio.gov, to serve as Ohio’s interactive headquarters for all information regarding the federal stimulus package (aka the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or “ARRA”). Similarly, the United States Green Building Council created its own compilation of Green Economic Recovery Resources (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1962).
Through LNL’s membership in Meritas, an international affiliation of independent law firms, we offer access to additional resources such as a fantastic synopsis of the ARRA, prepared by our Chicago affiliate Goldberg Kohn (http://www.goldbergkohn.com/news-alerts-134.html). Talk to David Scott, or your own personal LNL attorney, about how your business can get a little stimulation for itself…
Read more!
Mar 9, 2009
Meritas Green Guide Still Resonating
It’s been almost a year since LNL shareholder David Scott chaired the “Leadership Institute” of the Meritas international affiliation of law firms and helped create the Green Guide for sustainable law office practices. Yet still today the Green Guide is generating attention, this time in the March 2009 issue of California Lawyer. David’s fellow Leadership Institute member Caroline Mankey, with Meritas’ affiliate in Los Angeles, is quoted in the article:
How Green is your Firm?
By Rene Ciria-Cruz
The typical lawyer uses up to 100,000 sheets of paper in a year—creating 4.5 tons of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse-gas emissions, according to Arnold & Porter, a Washington, D.C., law firm.
To help law firms reduce this kind of waste and boost energy efficiency, California attorney Caroline Mankey has coauthored the Green Guide for Lawyers. Published last year by the Meritas Leadership Institute, Mankey's guide offers a plan that progresses from simple conservation tips to more ambitious ways to slash energy consumption.
What's in it for law firms? Increasingly, clients are "looking for environmentally responsible law firms," says Mankey, a partner at Los Angeles's Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs & Shapiro. Plus, firms that follow the guide can reduce over-head. Here are excerpts from its three levels of going green.
Sustainability Advocate
- uses motion-sensitive lighting
- provides reusable drinking mugs instead of disposable cups
- sets up carpools and offers pre-tax subsidies for transit users
Sustainability Partner
- uses mostly Energy Star—certified equipment
- pledges pro bono hours to environmental groups
- launches professional energy-efficiency audits of firm offices
Sustainability Leader
- locates offices in a building certified in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program
- tracks energy and materials usage, pledging to reduce such usage by 10 percent annually
- offers socially responsible investment options for employee retirement plans
Read more!
Jan 26, 2009
LEED, follow, or …
LNL’s own David Scott has joined the small group of attorneys in Ohio who have earned the “LEED® Accredited Professional” designation. LEED® AP’s are professionals (primarily in the building & construction industry) who have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building and the United States Green Building Council’s LEED® Green Building Rating System™. According to the USGBC, the LEED AP credential indicates that the professional has the knowledge and skills to facilitate the LEED certification process.
David is believed to be the first and only LEED® AP in Ohio who is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates’ Forum, comprised of litigators who have achieved a settlement or verdict in excess of one million dollars. Combined with David’s experience in construction and general business/commercial litigation, his knowledge of the LEED® Green Building Rating System™ makes him uniquely qualified to handle the prosecution or defense of green construction disputes.
Read more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
