The creation of the CMBA's Green Initiative and Green Initiative Committee (GIC) was first announced by 2008-09 President Michael E. Brittain at the 2008 CMBA Annual Meeting. The purpose of the GIC is to promote efficient energy use and other environmentally responsible programs ("green practices") for adoption by law offices and the CMBA itself in an effort to lessen the cumulative effects on the environment. This presentation discusses in more detail the role of the GIC and the requirements for certification.

Since it began, the GIC has worked on a comprehensive CMBA Green Initiative, the center stone of which is a Green Certification Program. The Green Certification program has expanded to offer two certification levels. See our certification tab for more information.

The GIC also developed a Carbon Footprint Calculator for Legal Services Organizations.  Download your free copy today! The Committee’s work has positively impacted the environment, helped law offices reduce costs, and positioned the CMBA as a "green leader" among bar associations.　 

For more information on the Green Initiative, please contact: Rita Klein 

Green Initiative Committee:
 

Green Certification Criteria Sub-Committee -- to address certification criteria on an ongoing basis; to look at certified firm/office recognition
Maureen Brennan (Chair)
 

Events/Publicity Sub-Committee -- to work on planning “green” events and generating publicity for CMBA GIC and related events
Michelle Cook (Chair)

The CMBA will certify participating firms/offices as Green, in accordance with the criteria laid out below. All local law firms/offices employing one or more CMBA members are eligible to apply for CMBA Green Certification. To have your firm or office CMBA Green Certified, a firm/office contact or administrator must demonstrate, in writing, that the firm/office is in compliance with the established criteria. Certified firms/offices will be recognized by way of an annual certificate and online at the CMBA website.

Requests for 2012-14 certification are being accepted. The certification renewal every two years, and the committee will welcome new firms/offices in September at the David Webster Greener Way to Work Day (see the events tab). Certified firms will be listed periodically in the CMBA Bar Journal and added to the list of certified firms below.

We encourage you to apply for CMBA Green Certification or Green + Certification using our online forms. Details for both levels are listed below.

Green Certification Criteria

(APPLY ONLINE HERE) 

A.)    Efforts to reduce per capita paper use (a commitment to 2 of the following 4 must be made): 

    1.     purchasing office paper with at least 30% recycled content. 
    2.     using double-sided copying and printing, at least for drafts and internal documents 
    3.     recycling discarded office paper 
    4.     purchasing office paper only from paper manufacturers with sustainable forestry management practices (click here to visit the American Forest & Paper Association for information on this type of paper manufacturer)

B.)    A commitment to reduce office energy use by 10% in the first year of certification (click here for tips on reducing energy usage [PDF])

C.)    The existence (or formation) of a firm/office program for recycling glass, plastic and e-waste products (toner cartridges, computers, etc.)

D.)    The existence (or formation) of a firm/office Green Committee or designated administrator to implement the program, interface with the CMBA, and generally encourage environmentally-responsible practices amongst staff. 

Green+ Certification Criteria

(APPLY ONLINE FOR GREEN+ HERE) 

In addition to the standard Green level,  firms/offices that want to expand their sustainability practices can apply for Green+ Certification. This advance level requires firms to quantify their successes. Along with the standard recycling and energy savings requirements, one of the Green+ criteria requires a firm to document a 10% energy savings from a baseline year of its choosing and to demonstrate a continuing downward trend in usage after that (per capita)

43 firms/offices are currently certified. The list below was last updated on April 8, 2013. 

Firms Green certified for 2013-15 (The CMBA has received applications for these firms. They will be formally recognized during David Webster Greener Way to Work Day luncheon on September 23, 2013)
Murray & Murray Co., LPA

Firms Green+ certified for 2012-14
Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP
Squire Sanders (US) LLP
Tucker Ellis LLP

Firms Green certified for 2012-14
American Civil Liberties Union
BakerHostetler LLP
Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP
Britton Smith Peters & Kalail Co., L.P.A.
Brouse McDowell
Cady Reporting Services, Inc.
City of Cleveland Department of Law
Cleveland Law Library Association
Department of Health & Human Services—Office of Medicare Hearings & Appeals
Dinn, Hochman & Potter, LLC
Frantz Ward LLP
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority—Legal Affairs Division
Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP
Hickman & Lowder Co., L.P.A.
Icove Legal Group, Ltd.
Law Office of Richard J. Stahl III
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Litigation Management, Inc.
McMahon DeGulis LLP
Mehler & Hagestrom Court Reporters
Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis
Mishkind Law Firm Co. L.P.A.
The Moskowitz Firm
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C
Ott & Associates Co., LPA
Porter Wright Morris & Arthur
Roetzel & Andress, LPA
Seeley, Savidge, Ebert & Gourash Co., LPA
Spangenberg, Shibley & Liber LLP
Thompson Hine LLP
Ulmer & Berne LLP
Walter & Haverfield LLP
Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A.

Firms Green certified for 2011-13
Collins & Scanlon, LLP
Dubyak Connick Thompson & Bloom, LLC
John V. Heutsche, Co., LPA
Kevin Cronin, Attorney at Law
Major Legal Services, LLC Legal Recruiters
Muskovitz & Lemmerbrock, LLC

David Webster "Greener Way to Work Day" - September 25, 2012

Photos of the 2011 luncheon 

Green News

Cleveland: Epicenter of the Environmental Movement?
See the story in CoolCleveland that talks about the turnaround of Cleveland and the recent efforts of EcoWatch.

New Bike Location Opens in Cleveland for Commuters
See the story in The Plain Dealer on the newly opened bike facility in downtown Cleveland.  The Bike Rack opened in the Gateway district on Aug. 26, offering riders a secure place to store their bikes and shower, for a fee.

RTA offers bike shelters. Bike shelters are at two West side rapid stations so they can leave their bikes when traveling downtown. Shelters are at Triskett and West 117th Street stations. More info.

Rack-and-roll
Each year, more than 50,000 riders board RTA buses and trains with their bicycle, as part of RTA’s Rack-N-Roll program. The program, now 10 years old, includes a two-bicycle rack on the front of every bus in the fleet, as well as bike racks at most rail stations and customer facilities. Combining a bike ride with public transit is a great 1-2 punch for the environment. 

Avon woman says rain barrel is way to go green (article) 

VIDEOS

CMBA members can get free pick up for recycling electronics and computers through various providers. Click on the "resources" tab for more information.

Speaking of recycling computers, watch the videos below to learn more about green computing.

PHOTOS

	Former GIC Chair Carter Strang and Joe Tarasco of OneCommunity participated in the Cleveland Cavs' Green Day program where they displayed materials regarding the CMBA's Green Initiative and OneCommunity.
	Click here or on image at left to view photos from the 2010 David Webster Greener Way to Work Day Luncheon.

Articles

Below are links to articles and other presentation information on green initiatives, best practices and more.

In the 2010 presentation entitled,  Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Carbon Footprints , Douglas A. McWilliams of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. discusses Carbon footprints—what they are, why/how to calculate, issues surrounding calculation, and helpful resources.  In addition, the GHG Monitoring Rule is reported on in detail.

Learn more about your Carbon Footprint with the Carbon Footprint Calculator for Legal Services Organizations.

Title:  Local Lawyer Comes to Defense of Sustainability
In an article from Cleveland Business Connects Magazine, author Lynne Meyer writes about Carter Strang of Tucker Ellis & West and how he developed the idea of the CMBA Green Initiative Committee, the Green Certification process for firms/companies and then the David Webster Greener Way to Work Day event. Click here for a PDF of the full article.
 

Title:  Law Firms Build a Case for Green: Recent Trends in Law Firm Sustainability Practices
CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) Law Firm Practice Group published this report in October 2010. A first in the commercial real estate services industry, the report covers sustainable strategies currently employed by law firms, including the specific practices of several CBRE clients on American Lawyer's Top 100 Law Firms list. The report specifically addresses the application and cost considerations of select sustainable strategies and considers the impacts of these and other trends in the context of the law firm industry's evolving real estate requirements. Click here to download the report.

Title:  How Green Is My Law Firm?
Rachel Loper and Robert Loper discuss environmental sustainability from the reasons to consider it to specific implementation procedures in their article entitled How Green Is My Law Firm?
http://www.bdlaw.com/assets/attachments/How_Green_is_My_Law_Firm.pdf 

Title:  The green(er) law practice
In this article, authors Evelyne Michaut and Rob Watson suggest green practices for many aspects of legal firms, advice for firms at many different “shades of green”.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+green(er)+law+practice:+your+firm+can+save+money+-+and+help+save...-a0178218680

Title:  How green is my orange?
Author Andrew Martin examines the environmental costs of Pepsi Co.’s Tropicana with specific emphasis on global warming.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/business/worldbusiness/22iht-22pepsi.19583527.html 

Title:  New Energy Institute Targets Renewable Power, Storage and Efficiency
Case Western Reserve University’s Fall 2008 edition of Next Generation discusses the Great Lakes Institute for Energy Innovation at Case Western Reserve University and its efforts in developing “energy use strategies” while focusing on research and development, economic development, and education.  A fresh water wind project and Cleveland’s carbon footprint are also discussed.
http://www.generationfoundation.org/pubs/GenFdnFall2008news.pdf
 

The Green Committee is happy to provide information for resources and providers to assist you in your efforts to be green.  If you have others we should consider, please contact Rita Klein at the CMBA.

	Cady Reporting Services, Inc., has served the legal community in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio since 1979, providing a full range of court reporting services and has been green certified by the CMBA. Cady Reporting  understands that our business practices have a direct impact on the environment. One example of its green technology and service is eBriefs, where text and video testimony exist in one easy place. Learn more about eBriefs
	When an employer enrolls in RTA’s Commuter Advantage program, riders enjoy their green ride to work, while keeping more green in their wallets. The Commuter Advantage is a pre-tax transportation benefit program whereby employees save money, time, and get a guaranteed ride home. All a firm has to do is offer this program thru a direct payroll deduction or FSA. No Federal, FICA, or State taxes can touch these monies thereby saving an average of $350 per year on commuting costs. Ready to Ride is a program designed to help prospective riders find out what exactly it would take for them to ride. Based on a questionnaire they fill out, they are presented with a starter kit which contains a trip plan, two five-day work-week passes, and a contact at RTA who is their dedicated personal transit assistant that guides them through their new experience. If your firm does not have a transportation benefit program in place, RTA can guide you through the process. If your firm has a program in place, all you have to do is complete a short questionnaire. Yes, it’s that easy. Your contact is Jim Frick, Sales Director, 216-702-7402.  Click here to see full details on these program .
	RET3 provide "Green Computing" as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way for your to donate used computer equipment. In the spring of 2011, the CMBA Green Initiative Committee joined with OneCommunity and RET3 Job Corp. Inc. for its Green Computing Program. Through this program unwanted computers and other e-waste is donated and then refurbished for distribution to Northeast Ohio schools.  As of August 15, 2011, RET3 Job Corp is coordinating all Green Computing Program inquiries, requests, donations and pickups.  Please contact Ken Kovatch at RET3 Job Corps for assistance 216-361-9991 x100. They do the pick up, you get the tax benefit. For more information, visit  www.ret3.org.
	The EcoRewards Commercial Recycling Program was designed to specifically address the needs of the business recycling customer by taking a comprehensive consultative approach to helping customers maximize their waste diversion and cost savings. From your desk, to the curb, to the recycling mill and back, we are a proven and trusted Full Circle Recycler that will design, support, and optimize a successful program for your company. This is a program of AbitibiBowater -- the largest manufacturer of newsprint and commercial printing papers in the world with over 40 grades of paper made with recycled paper fiber content. For more visit www.ecorewards.com.
	The Paper Retriever Program offers a community based fund raising recycling service to non-profit organizations such as schools, churches and civic organizations. With over 24,000 containers, this program provides a huge economy of scale that has allowed us to offer a very competitive commercial recycling program. In 2006, the Paper Retriever® program paid nearly $5.0 million to schools, churches & non-profit organizations. This is a program of AbitibiBowater, a world class recycling partner who knows how to return maximum value to our customers from their recycling streams. For more information, contact Denise Piotrowski at (216) 961-3900 or visit www.paperretriever.com