Best practice and innovation in proactive environmental strategy and performance was sought for this award. The judges looked for original ideas and significant outcomes from environmental initiatives such as carbon management, energy efficiency and sustainable procurement. This award was open to all in the legal sector.
Travers Smith's visionary project - called Leapfrog – instils the spirit of pro bono and volunteerism across sectors, harnessing the expertise and experience needed to boost domestic and international carbon reduction projects.
The Legal Section of the Council structured an agreement with private sector partners for the safe removal of three former refuse tips, neutralising adverse environmental impacts without any financial cost to the local community. The scheme also established a £10m fund for educational and environmental projects as well as creating 249 jobs for local residents.
Illegal dumping of waste and fly tipping was causing environmental damage and costing Buckinghamshire County Council £0.5m annually. The legal team's ‘Illegal Dumping Costs' campaign led to a reduction in damage to the environment and illegal activity, and a significant saving to the taxpayer through high-profile convictions.
An initiative to reduce Paris Smith’s impact on the environment involved action at senior and employee levels. Activities include waste and power reduction, recycling, default duplex printing, utilities and water usage reduction, movement detectors on office lighting, automatic switch offs on PCs, a ‘switch off’ campaign and the use of eco-friendly cleaning products.