Recent News

January 29, 2010

Good News for Green

~ written by Robert A. Meyer, Jr.

“Green Initiative” was created in May 2008 by Executive Director Alex Lagusch and then-incoming President Kathleen Trafford. The goal was to see what role the Columbus Bar might play in supporting member firms to be more sustainable, as well as what steps the Association itself might be able to take to be “greener.” Due to my involvement with Porter Wright’s green efforts, Alex and Kathleen asked me to initially chair the group.

Following a kick-off meeting in August, 2008, the Green Initiative group met roughly every two months through the end of 2009, and shared experiences, strategies and challenges for “greening” law office operations. Lawyers from several firms and law students from Capital participated, as did Susan Ashbrook, then the Columbus Environmental Steward and chief architect of the City’s GreenSpot program.

Perhaps the most significant, and most daunting, accomplishment of the group was encouraging participation by the Columbus Bar in the City’s GreenSpot program. A mandatory element of the GreenSpot program is recycling, including plastic, glass and metals. Like most of its member firms, the Columbus Bar is a tenant in a larger building, and the ability to recycle is dependent on the cooperation of the landlord. When the GreenSpot effort started, recycling in the Bar’s building simply wasn’t an option. Due in part to the hard work and persistence of the staff, though, recycling was added to the building in mid-2009, and the Columbus Bar became a recognized GreenSpot business last June. The Association’s ability to help establish a recycling program in its building, and become a GreenSpot business, are wonderful examples of leadership in the profession.

In 2010, the Columbus Bar will take steps to make the “Green Initiative” a permanent feature of the Association, and part of its formal committee structure. If you are interested in receiving information about upcoming events and meetings, please contact Donna Sweet at donna@cbalaw.org. Stay tuned!