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At Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, we are ardent
admirers of the Pacific Northwest’s natural beauty. We are
grateful for the mountains, rivers and valleys, and the abundance
of fresh produce, wines and wood products they produce. We do not
take these things for granted, and constantly strive to do right
by our clients, the community and the natural world around us. As
a socially-responsible business, we cannot take our natural environment
for granted.
Schwabe’s professionals are increasingly mindful of the
impact that our ecological footprint (carbon or otherwise) has on
the local, regional and global environment. Whether by collecting
coffee grounds for the gardeners among us or acting as a collecting
station for home battery recycling, we are integrating a sustainable
business place with a sustainable home life. Our commitment to sustainability
is also expressed in respect for our dedicated employees, our commitment
to diversity hiring practices and our investment in wellness and
continuing education opportunities for attorneys and staff. A sustainability
blog is available on the firm's intranet for attorneys and staff
who wish to share information, ideas and events regarding sustainability.
Our attorneys and staff volunteer donate many thousands of hours
each year to pro bono work, professional committees, charities and
civic groups. We do this from an understanding that we must do our
part to preserve and sustain the community and natural world that
sustains us. The intangible benefits of these commitments make a
greater impact than could ever be quantified or reduced to a bottom
line.
But promoting sustainability takes more than altruism and a healthy
love for nature. Living and working sustainably takes more than
a one-time donation or a recycling drive. Truly promoting sustainable
practices requires a fundamental shift in thinking – a fundamental
reassessment of the way we do business. It requires introspection,
self-awareness and taking the long-view. For a law firm, that means
measuring and improving the way we serve our clients and the way
we impact the community. We collaborate with such leaders as Axis
Performance, Flexcar,
and The Natural Step in an effort
to make a positive change within the legal community and beyond.
We can reduce our paper waste stream or compost our coffee grounds,
but we can also help our clients take advantage of clean energy
tax credits and green building initiatives. Often, we learn new
best practices from our clients and new ways to provide better legal
services in a more sustainable way. For nearly a hundred years,
Schwabe has counseled Pacific Northwest clients by building and
sustaining healthy relationships based on mutual respect. We believe
that embracing sustainability – in the natural world and the
workplace – will take us through the next hundred years.
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