Law School Eliminates Plastic From Campus To Promote Sustainability

Each and every day, we all play a small role in destroying our one planet. Believe it or not, our actions are plotting the Earth’s demise. Luckily, efforts to promote sustainability have caught on across the country and around the globe, and some American law schools have moved forward with their own measures to make their campuses greener and reduce waste.

For example, the Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law recently announced that the administration has decided to eliminate plastic waste from its campus. Pace Law will no longer supply
non-reusable plastic water bottles, plastic straws, disposable plates, or plastic cutlery to its students. Here’s some additional information from the school’s press release:

Beginning this week, the Law School will use paper straws instead of plastic and students will use china and metal flatware in the cafeteria. In addition, at all of its programs, the school will not use paper or plastic products and will provide water-filled bubblers rather than individual plastic water bottles.

“For decades, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law has been a pioneer in the field of environmental law and home to a nationally recognized environmental law program,” said Dean Horace Anderson. “I am so pleased that today, we are ensuring that we continue to lead the way by taking important measures to ensure that our campus is more sustainable than ever.”

“Plastic pollution is one of the most urgent environmental issues facing our planet. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight,” said Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law Jason Czarnezki. “The Law School is taking a first and necessary step to help confront this crisis and enact more sustainable practices.”

Not only is Pace going to try to help the environment by reducing its campus plastic use, but the law school is going to use energy efficient dishwashers in its cafeteria, install new recycling bins, and convert all campus water fountains to water filling stations by 2019. Everyone on campus is encouraged to use re-usable water bottles.

Congratulations to Pace Law on its efforts to increase campus sustainability! What is your law school doing to become more sustainable? Please email us or text us (646-820-8477) to let us know how your law school is going green. Thanks!

PRESS RELEASE: THE ELISABETH HAUB SCHOOL OF LAW ANNOUNCES NEW SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES TO MOVE TOWARD A PLASTIC-FREE CAMPUS [Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law]

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Law School Eliminates Plastic From Campus To Promote Sustainability curated from Above the Law