Public Service

Public Service (pub' lik sur' vis) n.
An act of assistance or benefit to the community or people as a whole.

2011-2012 Co-Chairs:
Karen Mignone, Verrill Dana LLP, Boston, MA
George B. Wyeth, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

Upcoming Public Service Projects

Tree Planting Events
The Section has undertaken a five-year project with the goal of planting a million trees by 2014. As part of that effort, the Section is sponsoring local tree plantings this spring in thirteen locations around the country. If you live in one of these cities, we strongly encourage you to get out and help with a project—have some fun as well as make a lasting and tangible contribution to your community. Plantings will generally be around Earth Day (April 22, 2012), but for details please contact the organizers.

If you can't plant a tree in person, please consider making a contribution to one of the Section’s partner tree organizations. The Section’s One Million Trees Project will get credit for one tree planted for every dollar donated through the Section website.

Message from Task Force Co-Chairs

The Section is deeply committed to serving the public both as a Section and through the activities of its committees. To that end, it has created the Public Service Task Force, which includes the Public Service Vice Chairs for each substantive committee of the Section, and other designated Section leaders. Some public service activities are carried out by the Section; others are led by committees. A list of current Section activities, and a sample of current committee activities, is shown below.

As co-chairs of the Task Force, we are very excited about working with task force members, and all other Section members, to promote and implement our goals, share our knowledge, combine our resources, and come up with creative ways to serve the public and benefit our communities. We will alert you to opportunities to participate in Section-wide projects, help you carry out committee or local projects, and share information on what is being done by committees so that we can all learn from each other.

We look forward to working with you to leverage the skills and energy of our Section’s membership to benefit our communities and our planet.

Karen Mignone, Chair
George B. Wyeth, Chair

How You Can Participate

Many public service activities are available to Section members and committees:

• The Section organizes a public service project at every major meeting. 

• Through the One Million Trees Project-Right Tree for the Right Place at the Right Time, the Section calls on ABA members to contribute to the goal of planting one million trees across the United States by 2014. This project is being carried out in partnership with a number of well recognized tree-planting organizations. The Section organizes tree-planting activities at major meetings; in addition, Section committees, as well as individual members and firms, can get involved in hands-on tree planting activities, or make contributions through the program partners that will be credited toward the Section’s total. So far, Section members have planted 5,000+ trees.

• The ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge provides a way for Section members and their firms to participate in EPA programs that encourage energy conservation and waste reduction. To date 250+ firms have signed up for the challenge.

• A variety of instructional materials are available that can be used to offer programs in schools, ranging from the elementary to the high school level. These include materials for mock trials and hearings, as well as basic instruction in environmental issues.