When Sam Gowin joined green|spaces to commit to making Gowin Law a more sustainable business in February 2020, he had no idea what the next year would have in store.
Despite a pandemic, Mr, Gowin stuck with the process and his practice is now celebrating becoming the 28th green|light certified business in Chattanooga.
Created by green|spaces as a way to create a culture of environmental and community stewardship, the green|light certification program guides local businesses through the maze of corporate sustainability.
As a “dirt lawyer” and a real estate attorney, Mr. Gowin sees the tension in development and environmental issues. His firm also provides counsel and legal orientation through local nonprofit Bridge Refugee Services, and knows a small business can have an important impact on the community.
“A lot of these stewardship issues are over my head and kind of overwhelming,” Mr. Gowin admits, recalling how he felt before beginning green|light. “But I know I should try. I know that the faithfulness in making a small, honest effort is often rewarded in bigger ways. Plus, green|spaces is full of talented, energetic and grounded people and it’s always a good idea to partner up with folks like that.”
Some of the changes Mr. Gowin’s firm implemented are: Establishing an employee wellness program by covering a portion of gym and other health memberships, switching from bottled water to a filter system, restructuring how they think about employee travel and resulting carbon emissions, implementing recycling, switching to support local products, and more.
"It was a pleasure working with Sam and his team on their green|light Certification,” said green|light Director Kelley Cureton. “Many people think that just because they have a smaller business or don’t own their building that they’re unable to make impactful changes. That’s simply not true.
“Allowing us to guide you through simple, affordable and effective ways to minimize your environmental impact makes the process easy and approachable. We can show you, your employees and your customers how seemingly minor decisions really add up in a big way.”
Email Kelley Cureton at kelley@greenspaceschattanooga.org to find out more about both individual and business certification options. Or, visit www.greenspaceschattanooga.org/greenlight.