Armstrong Legal and Watson & Watson become Australia's first carbon neutral lawyers

Sydney, NSW, October 2007 – Two Sydney based law firms, Armstrong Legal and Watson & Watson, have signed up to the Carbon Reduction Institute NoCO2 certification program last week, making them Australia’s first carbon neutral lawyers.

We’ve all heard the larger corporations stating their intentions to become carbon neutral, but Armstrong Legal and Watson & Watson felt it was time to take action rather than talk about it. This makes them industry leaders as other law firms adapt to the climate change issue only gradually.

Moving fast on climate change is especially important now that scientist and Australian of the Year Tim Flannery said a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed that the previous research had underestimated the danger and that the tipping point on climate change had passed in 2005. This indicates we might not have as much time to combat climate change as we thought.

Both Armstrong Legal and Watson & Watson felt the need to do something about climate change partly as responsible Australian business owners, but mostly as family fathers having the future of their children in mind. Becoming carbon neutral gives both lawyers a chance to contribute effectively to the solution for global warming.

Watson & Watson, specializing in Building Law, Construction Law, Family Law and Criminal Law; and Armstrong Legal, specializing in Family Law, Criminal Law and Traffic Law, have reduced and offset their greenhouse gas emissions and received NoCO2 certification. Emissions were calculated from all three scopes of emissions outlined under Kyoto standards; including waste, energy usage, employee travel, and embedded emissions in products and services provided.

Operating mostly in the non-commercial sector, Armstrong Legal and Watson & Watson are likely to gain a significant competitive edge through their becoming carbon neutral over non-certified law firms as the public becomes more aware of and concerned about climate change. The more the masses engage in the climate change problem, the more Armstrong Legal and Watson & Watson are able to expand their newly conquered market space in the low carbon economy.

For additional information about Armstrong Legal, please visit http://www.armstronglegal.com.au/. For additional information about Watson & Watson, please visit http://www.watsonandwatson.com.au/.

CRI develops strategies for businesses wanting to become carbon neutral, undertakes accurate footprint calculations and offers sustainability consultancy. The Carbon Reduction Institute has also certified Australia’s first carbon neutral home loan, its first carbon neutral pub and its first carbon neutral recruitment agent. For more information please visit http://www.noco2.com.au/.