The Phan Law Firm, P.C. is located in a city that prides itself as progressive in the area of being environmentally conscious or “green.” We applaud our city’s initiative and we want to be a leader in this movement. Accordingly, the firm is committed to being good stewards of the environment and sustainability is a very high priority for the firm. Like our clients and fellow neighbors who are conscientious of their impact on the environment, we are reducing consumption of natural resources in a variety of ways. The fact that we are a small firm does not deter us. The firm believes that whether you are a solo practitioner, small firm, or a large firm with hundreds of lawyers and multiple offices, we can each do our part individually adding to the overall end result collectively. We are doing our part with the hopes of having our initiative spread and take root throughout our local community and eventually throughout the State of Texas and beyond.

The legal profession, as a whole, holds itself in high regard as principled leaders and innovators in many areas. Regarding the issue of sustainability, we believe it imperative that we be leaders as well. We are the first small law firm in Austin, Texas, to partner with the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge and one of the first handful of law firms, regardless of size, to participate in this initiative in the State. Our hope is that one day in the near future, sustainability will be the norm among all industry and professions rather than merely being relegated to only a few.

Our goal is to decrease consumption, conserve energy, reduce waste, increase recycling, and encourage sustainable practices for commuting and business travel. Because we can achieve more by working together, our firm has adopted a sustainability policy for the entire firm covering all areas of our operations. We continually examine our practices to ensure continual improvement.

Our current policies and initiatives include:

• The Phan Law Firm, P.C. is a partner in the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge, the first small law firm in Austin, Texas, to sign on to this environmental initiative.
• Our firm participates in the EPA WasteWise program; the first small law firm in Austin, Texas, to do so.
• Our firm has adopted ABA-EPA Best Practices for Paper; the first small law firm in Austin, Texas, to do so.
• The firm’s printer and copier paper contains at least 30 percent post-consumer recycled content.
• All printed documents generated for use at the firm are double-sided.
• We have comprehensive recycling programs in our office.
• We offer a mass-transit subsidy program for our employees.
• We encourage bicycle commuting by providing access to bike racks and shower facilities in our office.
• We share our sustainability policy with all vendors.
• We request and maintain information from vendors regarding environmental impact of their business activities. Vendors are informed that sustainability practices are a factor in our selection criteria.
• Old or obsolete furniture and office supplies are donated whenever possible.
• Unused food from events in our office is delivered to local shelters.
• We no longer use bottled water in our office or at firm functions.

In addition to these actions, we encourage everyone at the firm to participate in green initiatives—and to propose ideas for reducing our impact on the environment. We welcome your input and suggestions in this area so that we can continue to improve and spread this initiative to others.