Lawyer Fergus Green shares his experiences from his time volunteering at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.
People across all areas of our firm feel very passionate about sustainability and environmental issues.
They are the ones driving change and the ones continually suggesting changes we can make that will reduce our organisation's environmental footprint.
But they also do a lot in their own time to work towards a greener environment. Here are some of their stories.
Fergus Green
Susan Pestana
National Convenor of the Allens Footprint Secretariat and Business & Technology Services Manager Susan Pestana, from our Perth office, has been a champion of recycling for years – at home, as well as in our offices.
In the Perth office alone, Susan recycles just about everything: spectacles, batteries, shoes, clothes, watches, books, hats and used courier bags, to name just a few.
Susan and her husband, Neil, have now combined their love of travel and enthusiasm for recycling into a passion for delivering goods – and helping others to do the same – to those most in need around the world.
For the past 25 years, Susan's travels have taken her to some of the poorest parts of the world. She, alongside her travel companions, takes anywhere from five to 10 kilos (though Susan and her husband have been known to take much more) of goods from their own homes and wardrobes, or items donated by others.
Susan's message has spread around the firm, with several people accompanying her on her travels and delivering goods to people in need. Gwenyth Taylor, Manager Projects Office in Sydney, went on one such trip to India.
Said Gwenyth:
After speaking to the driver of our van, we were taken to a very poor school in the tribal areas near Udaipur. The school was just a concrete shed without windows, where the children sat on the floor. The 'playground' surrounding the building was just a dusty hillside. I saw no bathroom. Not a single child (aged from babes in arms to 14 year olds) had a pair of shoes.
There, we were able to give every one of the 29 children a pair of shoes that fitted, and even some shoes for their siblings, as well as a hat, two pens, pencils, some paper and a balloon.
On
the trip, Susan and Neil brought four bags with them, as allowed by
the airline. One contained their personal belongings. The other
three contained 45 pairs of shoes, 25 hats, a pile of t-shirts,
jackets and shirts, and a bunch of stationery left as rubbish in the
old Perth office after the move, and some recycled pens donated by
the firm's supplier Corporate Express,
Gwenyth said.
'When Susan and her husband left India, they left behind most
of the clothes they had been wearing. 'As Susan says, if every
visitor did this, it would make a difference. It was a remarkable
experience.added Gwenyth.
According to Susan, the benefits of this distribution system are great. Poor people get something useful, no money changes hands and the people who do the delivery gain an insight into others' lives. People who have delivered items on their travels have now become converts, and encourage their own friends and family to do the same. A bonus for those who like to shop is that once they have donated their items, their luggage has the capacity to fit locally bought goods – which again supports the local economy – and they are not over their airline luggage allowance. A win-win-win situation.
Madeleine Ellicott
Sydney Lawyer Madeleine Ellicott has been making solar-powered 'sun jars' at home to be used as outdoor lights and as gifts.
When the jars are placed in direct sunlight during the day, the solar cell in the jar creates an electrical current that charges the battery. This energy is then used at night to power the LED lamp inside the jar. They are easy and inexpensive to make, and can also be used as night-lights for children's bedrooms.
Morgana Brady, Kieran Humphrey and Stanley Li
The Hong Kong Community Committee was established in 2008 because staff wanted greater engagement with social issues. The Committee focuses on three key areas: pro bono work, charitable activities and the environment. In the past 12 months, it has implemented a range of carbon-reducing initiatives and conducted the first ever carbon audit of our Asia offices. The current committee members are Morgana Brady, Stanley Li and Kieran Humphrey.
Why did you get involved in the Hong Kong Community Committee?
Morgana: I acted as the pro bono coordinator for the firm's Melbourne office in 2007-2008. I was proud of the work the firm was doing in Victoria and wanted to help ensure that opportunities to undertake pro bono work were also available in this office.
Stanley: I wanted the office to become more engaged with the Hong Kong community. I felt that I should get involved rather than standing on the sidelines.
Kieran: I think that we were all conscious that the corporate sector could do a lot more to help solve Hong Kong's social problems. We were therefore eager to direct the firm's resources and people toward that end. The Committee provided us with the opportunity to do that and to ensure that our office was making a contribution.
What are some of the Hong Kong office's 'green' achievements that you are proud of?
Morgana: The Committee arranged for Allens to be the first law firm to join the Hong Kong's Green Partner Program. This program is run by the Environmental Protection Department to encourage corporations to reduce their carbon emissions. It was great to formalise our office's existing commitment to green issues and to be recognised for the initiatives that we have put in place to date. Hopefully the rest of Hong Kong's legal profession follows suit.
Kieran: We have adapted our workplace's practices to reduce our use of resources. As an office, we have all taken steps to reduce paper use and electricity consumption. We also benefit from having an environmentally-friendly office premises. For example, our building – like many others in Hong Kong – uses sea water or 'grey' water to flush toilets.
Stanley: We are also proud of the fact that everyone in the office travels to work on public transport.
What next for the Hong Kong office?
Kieran: We conducted our first carbon audit this year and are looking forward to implementing further initiatives based on the results of that study. In particular, I expect we can do more to reduce our air travel and source fewer imported products. The latter can be a challenge in Hong Kong, which relies on importing goods from all over the world.
Stanley: We also plan to implement programs to educate and encourage staff to make 'green' choices in their personal lives.
What is one simple way that you each live 'green'?
Morgana: I use public transport or walk to wherever I'm going.
Kieran: I try to buy local products whenever possible.
Stanley: I support recycling and reuse. I recycle all my household waste and avoid using disposable bags, utensils or other items.
Green tipSwitch to compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and reduce emissions. |