Welcome to part eleven of our blog series on Going Green, dedicated to helping attorneys practice law in a more environmentally friendly way.  Last week we talked about how educating and rewarding your employees will help to implement a change in environmental behavior.  This week we will be discuss different products and devices that advance and ease the effort to go green.

1) Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs):  Fill the office with the CFLs instead of the standardized light bulb.  Not only do these light bulbs require 75% less energy, but they also last ten times longer.  In the long run, you’ll end up saving money on buying the short-lived light bulbs over and over again.  And your energy bill will be lower as well.

2) Reusable Cloths:  Washing out environmentally friendly coffee mugs requires drying them as well.  Instead of constantly using paper towels this is a much more efficient method of drying not only mugs, but anything that you may wash in the office.

3) Recycled Copy/Printing Paper:  Although you should refrain from doing so as much as possible, we know that sometimes it is necessary to use paper.  In this case you should use recycled paper.  It is sometimes a little pricier than regular priced paper, but if you shop around and buy in large amounts, you can find a decent deal.

4) Reusable Kitchenware:   We used to keep everything from paper plates to plastic spoons and knives in the office.  Slowly we have been fading that out as we use washable and reusable mugs and other kitchenware.  Just because it is an office, doesn’t mean kitchenware is off limits.  By doing this we produce much less waste.

5) Plants:  Having plants around the office not only helps in increasing oxygen but it is an essentially reminder to employees to stay focused in the company’s effort to go green.

6) Mountain Bikes:  We figured we would throw this last one in for fun.  If applicable, how much gas would you save by riding a bike to work instead of driving? Okay, we get it, many of you take public transportation…but with fares rising to outrageous numbers (ahem…New York), it may not seem like a bad idea.

All of these products will help the legal community in the global effort to go green.  We each make a small difference, but in the long run; the collective effort will have a big impact.

Past Installments in this Series
Part One – An Introduction to Going Green
Part Two – Cut Electricity Costs, Just Flip the Switch
Part Three – Forget Paper, Go Digital
Part Four – Travel Together, Travel Less
Part Five – We Recycle
Part Six – Natural Lighting
Part Seven – Know Your Gadgets
Part Eight – Setting Goals
Part Nine – Reusable Bottles and Mugs
Part Ten - Setting Employee Incentives