Sorry, Kermit. PohlmanUSA Finds Being Green Is Easy

While being green caused Kermit the Frog considerable angst on Sesame Street, the Green Team at PohlmanUSA Court Reporting is finding that it’s actually quite fulfilling! That’s because the St. Louis litigation support firm recently became the first court reporting agency in the U.S to earn Green Business certification from the Green Business Bureau (GBB).

Earlier this year, PohlmanUSA decided the time was right to identify and adopt more environmentally conscious business practices – a challenge that led it to pursue the rigorous certification program established by the national group of business and environmental professionals. “Every one of us feels responsible for the environment in which we all live, work and play,” says Tracy Bianco, Chief Operating Officer and Green Team leader. “Promoting sustainable solutions throughout the office is our way of contributing to the health of the planet.”

To get a good start, Bianco’s Green Team gathered to craft a sustainability vision statement. It reads: “Being Green is about values, attitude, choices and changing your way of thinking. It requires developing an attitude toward sustainability and practices that can be incorporated into our everyday lives. We are a company based on values that reflect an environmental ethic and social conscience.”

The Green Team then got down to the nitty-gritty – assessing what PohlmanUSA needed to do to earn eco-friendly recognition and altering various internal practices pertaining to recycling, office supply usage, employee dress code and billing. Major action steps included:

• Electronically delivering transcripts.
• Establishing procedures in support of a new office supply re-use center.
• Printing double-sided.
• Donating/selling unneeded office furniture and equipment.
• Relaxing its dress code to allow attire that doesn’t require dry cleaning.
• Establishing a paperless billing program.
• Using recycled or remanufactured toner cartridges.
• Using filtered tap water in lieu of bottled water.
• Formalizing an office-wide program to recycle copy paper, colored paper, envelopes, magazines, catalogues and cardboard.

Now that PohlmanUSA is green certified, Bianco is making sure it stays that way. She continues to work with a St. Louis-based, GBB-affiliated eco-consultant who is helping keep her abreast of new green policies and practices. “Being a green company does take effort. It is a dynamic pursuit,” she adds. “But at the end of the day, our associates find it very worthwhile.”