(This material is extracted from Gabrielle Hammond's forthcoming article for Management Information Exchange. Click here for a PDF of the full article, The Greening of Your Legal Aid Program.)

The environmental movement may be decades old, but in the wake of The 11th Hour and An Inconvenient Truth, it is clear that the depth of the environmental problems we face cannot be tabled for a later generation. As part of the work we do, managers and leaders in legal aid programs are looking for ways to integrate practices that align with environmental solutions, and not add to the problems. The time has come for legal services to adopt energy efficient and sustainable policies.

Effective greening of your organization will require a look at both your daily practices and your building environment. Leadership, change of habits, and effective use of technology all play important roles in going green.

This article offers a few suggestions to get you started on making your program a green organization. Start in your building, by reducing travel, or through recycling.