Public Affairs Committee Blog

Having talked about online footprints last week, it is perhaps appropriate to follow up with a few words on carbon footprints. In Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman (2005), Yvon Chouinard, the founder of the outdoor clothing company, Patagonia, describes his path towards eventually becoming a businessman and how he created a company which was both environmentally and socially responsible. It is an inspiration to anyone involved in either business or the professions but particularly so for those with an interest in the environment. One of the things he emphasises is donating to good causes and he describes his support for the One Per Cent for the Planet organisation, the principle being, in the words of David Brower, that, “There is no business to be done on a dead planet.”

As well as giving donations, businesses can also reflect on how they can facilitate their staff to be more environmentally friendly. A good start is to set up a corporate social responsibility programme in which consideration can be given to all aspects of the business. Examples might include law firms organising schemes where transport needs are shared or where they decide to go paperless for as much of their work as possible. It might be that firms decide to change to a green electricity provider or simply change their systems in order to minimise energy usage. The idea of the ethical law firm might perhaps be seen by some as a contradiction in terms. But following some of these strategies may well be a step in the right direction.

By Tim Kevan and Aidan Ellis