Green Office

The Department of Justice/Office of the Attorney General practices what it preaches. We are committed to sustainable business practices to counteract the effects of global warming, promote a better environment, and protect it for future generations.

The Department is an ENERGY STAR Partner, a partner in the American Bar Association/federal EPA Law Office Climate Challenge, and a supporter of the California State Bar’s Eco-Pledge. We encourage employees to participate in Green Office-DOJ in their local work sites and to help shape environmentally friendly policies and practices.

Partial list of accomplishments:

• Converted to 100% post-consumer content paper and duplex printing whenever possible.
• Shifted to remanufactured toner that contains recycled and recyclable content and provides an average cost savings of 68% per cartridge.
• Increased purchase of eco-friendly supplies and equipment.
• Conducted eWaste events for employees.
• Installed desktop energy savings software and obtained nearly $50,000 in utility rebates to offset the purchase cost.
• Added bicycle parking racks to accommodate commuters.
• Increased recycling of paper, bottles, and cans department-wide which saved 396 metric tons of CO² in 2008.
• First recipient of the Best of California Award for Green IT.
• 2009 recipient of prestigious Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) award for "Going Green" in recognition of our Internet's electronic information and business transaction services
• DOJ Sacramento and San Francisco legal offices are LEED certified at the Gold level by the US Green Building Council. The Los Angeles legal office is certified at the silver level and the Oakland legal office received certification. As a result, 40% of all DOJ employees work in a LEED certified building.
• DOJ selected to test drive a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) for a pilot of the Department of General Services to green the state's fleet of vehicles. DOJ employees' use of the hybrid saves the department travel expenses and cuts CO² emissions in half compared to a regular vehicle, a savings of 3.3 tons annually.