Green Office Initiative
In keeping with its values, O’Melveny is committed to helping the community it serves protect and enhance the environment. In 2007, the Firm launched its Green Office Initiative to conserve resources and reduce the carbon footprint of its 14 offices around the globe.
Based on the work of a committee that includes lawyers and staff from all offices, our initiative is already a success. O’Melveny is among the first law firms to achieve compliance with the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge Best Paper Practices program. All our US offices met the program’s goals in 2007, including recycling 90 percent of all paper waste and using paper that contains at least 30 percent post-consumer recycled content. Our London office exceeded these goals in 2006 and uses 100 percent recycled paper.
Other firmwide efforts have been broadly recognized.
The New York Times featured O’Melveny’s use of electronic holiday cards during the 2007 holiday season, in an article entitled “E-Greetings Gain Ground at Businesses This Season.”
The greening of our practice also includes initiatives unique to each office, such as those related to energy conservation, recycling, waste reduction, increased use of public transportation, and community efforts to support sustainable use of natural resources. All of O’Melveny’s offices are implementing customized Green Office projects and conducting educational programs for lawyers and staff. For example, our San Francisco office is currently building out new space that will be certified as green through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. With an estimated completion date of Fall 2008, this would make O’Melveny one of the first law firms in the US to achieve a LEED rating for renovated space in an existing building.
In addition to our internal efforts, the Firm has embarked on a program of charitable contributions to reduce its carbon footprint. For example, in 2006 and 2007, we contributed to the Rainforest Alliance (RA), an international nonprofit organization that leads efforts to certify sustainable forestry land use and business practices. We also work with RA on numerous pro bono projects, including international policy affecting the use of forests and carbon sequestration to create carbon credits.
O’Melveny is committed to sustainable practices, proud of its recent accomplishments, and excited about our plans for the future. We look forward to even greater accomplishments, and to collaborating with our clients and communities to act as diligent stewards of our shared environment.
Press and Publications
"Small Steps Can Add Up Big" (
Legal Times, March 31, 2008)
By Lisa Wing Stone
“E-Greetings Gain Ground at Businesses This Season,”
The New York Times (Dec. 24, 2007)
Quotes partner
Eric Rothenberg
“China Finally Gives Teeth To Environmental Agency,”
The Wall Street Journal (Dec. 18, 2007)
Quotes counsel
Scott Silverman “
Exploring the Carbon Trading Landscape: A New Market Emerges Under Greenhouse Gas Legislation,”
The New York Law Journal (July 18, 2007)
By
Eric Rothenberg and
John Rousakis
“The Calabasas smoking ban: A local ordinance points the way for the future of environmental tobacco smoke regulation,” 80
Southern California Law Review 393 (2007)
By
Jordan Raphael “International Environmental Law,” International Corporate Practice: A Practitioner’s Guide to Global Success (Practising Law Institute 2007)
By
Eric Rothenberg and
John Rousakis
Related Practice Areas
Environmental Law and Natural Resources