SUSTAINABILITY

As a firm, Bullard Law is committed to engaging in business and the community using sustainable business practices. These practices promote the following core values:

• People should be able to contribute to decisions that affect their quality of life, and their environment.
• Resources should be used to provide for the needs of the whole community without exclusion or disadvantage to any group.
• Since we all depend on the Earth’s natural resources to live, these resources should be protected and enhanced.
• We all depend on a strong, broadly based local economy. This should be developed in partnership to provide opportunities for the whole community.

To assist with implementing practices and polices that support the core values, the firm designated a Green Team comprised of attorneys and staff. The Green Team has successfully developed and introduced a number of initiatives in the following areas:

OFFICE OPERATIONS

• We implemented a central trash receptacle program. Individual garbage cans were voluntarily removed and replaced with cans at centralized locations, reducing daily use of plastic liner bags.
• The firm purchases recycled ink cartridges and toner for printers and copiers. All used toners are recycled.
• We use rechargeable batteries in most devices.
• We switched to recycled paper for daily office use.
• We purchase organically shade-grown coffee, and we compost the coffee grounds.
• In addition to coffee grounds, we compost all organic food materials. Before our May 2011 move to the 200 Market Building, where composting is supported by the building, we implemented a schedule of employees who took compost home on a regular basis. All we asked is that they would bring in a few vegetables from their garden in the summer!
• For employees and visitors who prefer to fuel up at nearby coffee shops, we purchased reusable cups made out of 100% recycled materials that can be used in place of disposable cups from the coffee shops.
• We eliminated paper cups and replaced them with glasses. Our kitchen also contains durable silverware, plates and bowls. Sometimes we still need to use disposable cutlery, but now, we buy corn-based biodegradable forks and spoons.
• Duplex (two-sided) printing and copying is encouraged whenever possible.
• At our annual firm events, we have eliminated the use of vinyl binders and replaced them with recycled cardboard binders.
• In 2010, we updated one of our most cherished traditions by delivering the firm’s holiday card electronically.

TRANSPORTATION

• We encourage employees to walk to work and commute using mass transit, bikes and scooters. By providing on-site bike storage, locker rooms and showers, we make the transition between home and work easier for bikers, walkers and runners.
• The firm put in place incentive programs that provide cash payments for using alternatives to single-car commuting. In addition, we contribute to employee CREA accounts to make it easier to choose a more sustainable method of getting to work.
• We deliberately based our offices in downtown Portland near bus lines, the streetcar and light rail so it is easy to get to most of the places we visit each day by walking or riding mass transit.

RELOCATION TO 200 SW MARKET BUILDING

Bullard Law is proud to serve clients from a best-in-class sustainable building.

In May 2011, we relocated our offices from the 1000 Broadway Building to the 200 SW Market Building in downtown Portland, Oregon. Our new office space allows us to work in one of the few existing multi-tenanted buildings in the United States to achieve the highest possible sustainability rating, LEED Platinum. The 200 SW Market Building provides full recycling and composting for all tenants, uses outside air for cooling and has automatic dimming lights to reduce electricity use.

To further reduce the firm’s environmental footprint and respond to changing work habits, the firm selected a smaller office space that offered flexibility for improvements. As the primary occupant of the building’s top floor, we were able to maximize the space by designing a layout that includes more shared areas to promote collaboration, as well as smaller individual offices.

Moving to the new location presented challenges in deciding what to do with quite a bit of accumulated “stuff.” One of our key decisions was to donate the majority of our furniture and office supplies to various non-profit organizations. We also implemented an extensive digital transition process that converted old paper documents to electronic files and allowed us to recycle large amounts of paper.