FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022
C LO S I N G S TAT E M E N T
Sustained Success BY JOHN MCNALLY
former partner started Neal Gerber Eisenberg on the path to sustainability. Firm COO Sonia Menon took the baton and ran with it. Menon took over what was initially called the Green Committee — renamed the Sustainability Committee — a couple of years ago looking to push the firm into bigger energy-saving goals. “We’ve tried to broaden our approach over the last few years,” she said. Menon helped lead the firm to earning a Gold Rating from the American Legal Industry Sustainability Standard last year. ALISS was developed by the Law Firm Sustainability Network, a nationwide group committed to helping firms’ sustainability measures internally and externally, as well through “stakeholder engagement” “measuring and reporting,” and “innovation,” according to the LFSN’s website.
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Neal Gerber Eisenberg presses forward on energy-saving processes and goals
The ALISS honor came, in part, because NGE and Menon hit major goals, including dropping its server energy consumption by 40% with a switch to more “virtualized server infrastructure,” purchasing more energy-efficient appliances and computers that lowered energy use by 30%, an investment in a secure electronic filing system that saves the firm 10.5 tons of paper per year, and utilizing single-use coffee pods with bean-tocup machines, eliminating 2,000 pounds of waste that would end up in landfills. “It wasn’t like we went out and bought 500 new laptops. We did it as we moved along (in our goals). I chose people to be on the Sustainability Committee who were part of our operations as well as our attorneys,” Menon said. “We have the director of our IT department and the person who runs our office services. It’s not just a line item they’re trying to check off, they’ve all completely bought in and committed to what we’re trying to do. They’re looking at ways in which we can continue to make inroads and make a difference.” Also in 2021, NGE committed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership and its mission is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Menon had the firm commit to purchasing the entirety of its energy from green power sources. NGE selected 100% wind renewable energy credits purchased from AEP Energy to cover the firm’s 600,000 kilowatthours of annual energy. The 600,000-kWh threshold is equivalent to the annual electricity usage of 56 average American homes, according to the U.S. EPA and NGE. Menon said getting NGE attorneys to jump onboard the sustainability train happened pretty quickly. When it came to adjusting their habits with the switch to bean-to-cup coffee, she made it a game. She developed a treasure map of where specific flavors of coffee would be located throughout the office. This had the added benefit of getting colleagues who might not see each
other since they were separated by floors to run into one another and have conversations. While the coffee hunt is fun, educating employees on the reasons for sustainability at the firm was crucial. “It’s not just important to communicate often — and in many different mediums — but to tell people the why behind it. Then they understand why we’re doing it,” she said. “I’m not shy, I would say ‘we’re doing this.’ I’m sure there were people that had a favorite flavor of Keurig. But once you say we’re saving 2,000 pods of this horrible thing and let me tell you what it does because it doesn't break down (environmentally). If you have the why behind (your decision), people feel like they can’t argue.” Menon says the firm’s next goals in sustainability are to switch the kitchen faucets to touchless options. NGE did this in its bathrooms and saw around a 50% reduction in water usage. The firm’s toilets have low-flow aerators and it has saved 60% of its previous water usage rates, according to Menon. Finally, NGE wants to start educating its clients — some of whom, Menon said, are industries considered not environmentally friendly — by having panels about how they all can adjust their thinking. Menon can speak from experience as law firms still have the reputation as being oldschool. “I’d love to do another client panel where we have an electronics company, a plastics company and a pharmaceutical company have a representative talk about how traditionally we’re all considered bad for the environment,” she said. “But here is how we’re trying to make changes.” jmcnally@lawbulletinmedia.com
© 2022 Law Bulletin Media. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Media.