Sustainability

Sustainability is an integral part of Alston & Bird’s culture and a core element of our corporate responsibility programs. While sustainability involves improving efficiencies and reducing our environmental footprint, it also encompasses more broadly our firm’s relationship with its people and communities and our collective role in maintaining the long-term viability of both.

Alston & Bird’s firmwide Sustainability Committee provides leadership, structure, and accountability to our environmental initiatives. The committee advises on firm practices designed to reduce our footprint on the environment, promotes initiatives that have a positive impact on our local and global communities, and provides a platform for communication between attorneys and staff about these critical issues.

From comprehensive recycling programs to composting services, from waste reduction to reuse initiatives, we do all that we can to reduce, recycle, and reuse. We annually purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) to offset a percentage of the entire firm’s electricity use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage the further development of the renewable energy sector. We reside in LEED-certified buildings, like the Platinum Certified Two California Plaza in Los Angeles, and our Gold Certified home office in Atlanta.

Alston & Bird has made significant investments in its green credentials but is always looking for new ways to improve. We are inspired by the achievements of our clients, many of whom have garnered recognition for their impressive improvements in energy efficiency, waste reduction, and carbon footprint reduction. We believe that sustainable practices are necessary for a better future and are proud to be at the forefront of the green movement in the legal industry.

Affiliations

Alston & Bird was one of the founding firms of the Law Firm Sustainability Network, now known as the Legal Sustainability Network (LSN). Founded in August 2011, LSN is a nonprofit organization of law firms and legal departments committed to promoting the benefits of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility throughout the legal industry.

Alston & Bird joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership through our purchase of RECs each year since 2014. The Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to use green, renewable energy as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. Alston & Bird is committed to sustainability in all its forms and appreciates the EPA’s recognition of our efforts.

Alston & Bird’s Atlanta office is the recipient of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for environmental sustainability. LEED certification is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the group’s leading rating system for the world’s greenest buildings that incorporate environmentally friendly and energy-efficient practices. The firm’s LEED Gold certification was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the office itself and the broader community. These features include enhanced HVAC controllability to reduce energy consumption and increase personal comfort, occupancy sensors for lighting efficiency and the low-mercury nature of the systems, furniture that meets USGBC’s standards for sustainable content, recycled content throughout the construction of the space, and the use of low VOC materials such as paints, coatings, furniture, and seating, among many other features.

Insights

Alston & Bird Pilots New Law Firm Sustainability Tool 

Alston & Bird Awarded LEED® Gold Certification

Professional Sustainability Services 

Environmental issues increasingly affect business and industry in new and dramatic ways, presenting enormous challenges and opportunities to our clients. Alston & Bird’s practices present a world-class cross-functional team of more than 100 attorney and non-attorney  market-leading experts on the issues that have become among the most important in the world.

Climate Change and Carbon Management 
Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)
Chemical & Product Regulation
Environment and Land Development
Real Estate 
Legislative & Public Policy
Construction 

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