On April 22, 1970 the first Earth Day was held in the United States. Across the nation, approximately 20 million Americans gathered in demonstration to promote the benefits of a healthier, more sustainable environment. Fast-forward forty-six yers and Earth Day is now a worldwide celebration where billions of people join together with the goal of raising public awareness about pollution, the environment, and climate change.
Although April 22nd is the day set aside to officially recognize Earth Day, the last decade has shown an increase in businesses going “green”. Rather than being socially responsible one day out of the year, these businesses are choosing to show their support for the environment three-hundred and sixty-five days a year, and as a court reporting agency you can do it to.
The legal industry is known to rely heavily on paper from printed transcripts to exhibits. Court reporting agencies can do their part to reduce the reliance on paper and maintain a “green” agency in the following ways:
- Offer remote services – Traveling to and from litigation events has a huge impact on the consumption of fossil fuels. Reduce the consumption by offering an alternative to attending a litigation event in person. Web-based products like LiveDeposition allow attorneys to actively participate in depositions, trials, hearing, arbitrations, and mediations from the comfort of their own home or office. With a web-based litigation event solution, attorneys can participate in these types of events by utilizing videoconferencing, realtime streaming, group & private chat, and electronic exhibits.
- Migrate to paperless exhibits – With paperless exhibits there is no longer a need to print out thousands of pages of exhibits. Important documents can be uploaded and instantly be accessed during any litigation event. Official versions of those files can be saved and marked for the record.
- For items you must print – Reduce paper usage by opting for double sided printing. You can also purchase and use environmentally friendly supplies such as recycled paper and refillable toner cartridges.
- Offer an online repository – Rather than keep a hard copy of every single document, setup an online repository that your clients can access 24/7. Within this repository, include digital transcripts that are keyword searchable and hyperlinked to electronic exhibits.
- Electronically deliver all notifications and invoices – Most businesses these days pay all of their bills and invoices online. By electronically delivering your notifications and invoices you are assuring that invoices get in front of the proper person and don’t get lost somewhere in the mailroom, plus you are cutting back on paper and saving trees.
These are just a few ways agencies can do their part to help the environment. In addition to the environmental benefits, maintaining a “green” business also benefits the company as a whole. By going green you are creating a positive brand image, which in turn will allow you to win more customers and attract better employees. Huge opportunities are available to court reporting agencies who commit to operating their business in a sustainable way. If you haven’t already started to implement some of the above methods, it’s not too late. Your clients will thank you, your employees will thank you, and most importantly the environment will thank you.