PF+C Meets ABA Climate Challenge

Burlington law firm, Paul Frank + Collins is the first Vermont law firm to join the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Law Office Climate Challenge.

“I am particularly pleased that we are the first Vermont firm to accept the Challenge and qualify under the ABA standards,” said Paul Frank + Collins attorney Matt Pifer. “Our people have strong commitments to Vermont and the environment; the credit for this goes to them” he added.

As a Challenge member, Paul Frank + Collins now recycles at least 90% of discarded office paper, purchases paper with at least 30% post-consumer recycled content and uses double-sided copying and printing where appropriate, among other initiatives.

Pifer said that complying with the Challenge criteria is relatively easy and makes a difference: “We have very little trash going into landfills, and our paper vendors know that all future purchases we make will comply with the recycled-content requirements.”

The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources (SEER), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), created the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge to encourage law offices nationwide to take specific steps to conserve energy and resources, as well as reduce emissions of greenhouse gases—which cause global climate change—and other pollutants. Law offices and organizations may participate by adopting best practices for office paper management or by joining another voluntary EPA partnership program.

More information about the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge is available at: www.abanet.org/environ/climatechallenge/overview.shtml