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I have been a lawyer for awhile but am new to having a blog (2 blogs actually, www.TheConstructionContractReview.com if you are interested).  Our sustainable legal practice at Mayfield | Broderick looks at how any given legal problem, transaction or dispute impacts people, planet and profits and asks: can there be improvements in those impacts?  Vox Viridis started about three months ago to provide commentary on this intersection between people, planet, profits and the law.

I took a few weeks off from this blogging thing to enjoy the last few weeks of 2009 with my family, wrap up a number of work items before the end of the year and take a much needed few days up in the north woods of Wisconsin.  Doing not much else than sledding gave me the opportunity to think about how sledding can provide lessons on how I write this blog, maintain my law practice, or how my clients can transition their businesses to sustainable or reduce the impacts from their legal activities. 

The Lessons of Sledding:

1. Prepare – hat, scarf, sweater, warm coat, long underwear, snow pants, thick socks, good boots, and of course, snow are required
2. Choose Your Tools – different sleds can provide different results: saucers, toboggans, disks, boats, tubes, or runner sleds.  
3. Select Your Path – the path one chooses down the hill are critical: fast or bumpy, fresh track or glazed over slick snow, curly or straight path. 
4. Settle In – are you on you back or stomach; sitting, kneeling, or curled up like a pretzel; holding on the sled or your fellow sledder?  These are essential elements to the sledding experience and occur on the top, with a foot or hand out so you don’t start down the hill too early. 
5. Never Hurts to Get a Push
6. Enjoy The Ride – screaming like a little girl seems best
7. Set a Higher Goal – want to go farther, longer without crashing, or simply faster?  All good. 
8. Don’t Be Afraid To Crash – perhaps the most critical element.  I’m sure there is some appropriate Thomas Edison quote to insert here. 

I took these lessons to heart while thinking about Vox Viridis for 2010.  I’ve prepared a calendar of different topics to post about including People: immigration, estate planning, and employment; Planet: clean technology, carbon markets, brownfield issues, environmental news, renewable energy, and emission reduction strategies; and Profits: EPA Partnerships, greenwashing, sustainability practices, and nonprofits.  I’m comfortable with this blogging platform and the course I’ve charted for it.  I’ve settled in, pre-written a number of articles, and am looking into getting a push from some guest bloggers,  I’m enjoying the ride so far and am optimistic my readership goals will be met. 

Starting a new sustainability, or any, initiative for a company could have a similar path.  Planning the initiative, selecting the right emission measurement tool, and choosing a reduction methodology course are required.  The process will require settling in for some hard work and some outside help or consultants may be needed for a little push now and then.  But the sustainability ride should be rewarding and could be an ever improving process. 

Jack in this video didn’t do all this thinking when sledding, he just did it.  What are you doing to move your sustainability initiatives forward in 2010?

And here, I found an appropriate Thomas Edison quote: “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”