Green cards, the documents that show permanent residence in the U.S., used to be green. Nowadays, green cards are actually pink in color because the U.S. government recognizes the effects of global warming. In this millennium, it’s becoming more and more difficult to ignore concerns about energy and the environment. Rather, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that a sustainable lifestyle will soon be a necessity for people throughout the world.

We at Zhang & Associates take these concerns very seriously. Since so much of our business involves green cards, we think it’s only appropriate that we should have a green initiative to make our practice more sustainable. Just as the green-card aspect of our business helps improve the lives of immigrants by allowing them to achieve their goals, we hope that our green initiative will help improve the environment, and encourage other businesses and individuals to do so.

Our green initiative has been in place since May 2007. The program is still growing, but here are some of its main features so far:

Employee Incentive Program

Z&A’s employee incentive program rewards employees for making sustainable choices both at work and at home. Currently, our program provides financial incentives for diverse types of sustainable behavior, including:

• Driving hybridcars
• Using public transportation or riding bicycles to commute to work
• Installing solar panels or solar water heaters at home
• Using a renewable energy provider at home
• Buying Energy Star-certified appliances

We have established this program because, despite the high long-term costs of some environmentally damaging behavior, like using fossil fuels, the reality is that the immediate costs of sustainable behavior remain relatively high. For example, hybrid cars tend to be more expensive than their non-hybrid equivalents, and using public transportation or riding a bicycle generally requires more time and energy than driving a car. We hope that by offsetting these costs through our employee incentive program, we can encourage more of our staff to make greener choices without making great sacrifices in other aspects of life.

Electronic Communication and Data Storage

E-mail is a central method of communication for almost all businesses these days, and Z&A is no exception. Our employees rely on e-mail for communication with clients and colleagues alike. E-mail is particularly important for our firm given the enormous geographical range that our clients inhabit.

Z&A also uses Oracle’s Siebel CRM, a digital customer relations management application, to manage client data and expedite our business process. Furthermore, Z&A stores client data on CDs to save both paper and space.

Recycling Program

Z&A employees in the Houston and New York offices make an effort to recycle paper, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and other recyclable materials to reduce our firm’s environmental footprint.

Adopt-A-Block Program

Zhang & Associates participated in “Adopt-A-Block” in Houston, which is an important part of Keep Houston Beautiful, a nonprofit organization’s efforts to beautify and enhance Houston’s environment. Zhang & Associates has adopted the portion of Bellaire Boulevard between Corporate Drive and Ranchester Drive in Houston. Zhang & Associates’ attorneys and supporting staff will pick up trash to make these blocks cleaner.
We at Z&A know that our green program is by no means complete. Just as we have gotten better and better at helping immigrants obtain green cards, we hope to get better at greening our practice. For now, we hope that even our small efforts will make a difference in the environments and communities where our employees and clients live and work.

Go Green!

We at Z&A want to encourage our readers to go green, too. Many available green options require only a slightly higher amount of time or effort, yet have a significant payoff for the environment, especially in the long term.

Here are some ways that you can make your lifestyle more sustainable:

– Instead of throwing things out, recycle them, give them away, or freecycle them.
– Carpool, use public transportation, walk, or ride a bike—even if you just do it once a week.
– If you can’t give up your car, consider switching to a more energy-efficient model—like a smaller vehicle with better mileage or a hybrid. Also, make sure to keep up with your car’s maintenance to keep it running optimally.
– Use compact fluorescent light bulbs or LEDs, and turn off lights when you’re not using them.
– Reuse plastic shopping bags, and/or switch to canvas totes.
– Purchase locally grown food (to reduce fuel used to transport the products).
– Compost yard and kitchen waste.
– Buy Energy Star appliances and electronics.
– Unplug electric devices when you’re not using them.
– Receive your bills and bank statements electronically, rather than through the mail.
– Switch to a green electricity provider—or see if your current provider has a plan based at least partly on renewable energy.
You can find many more detailed suggestions about how to go green at Treehugger.com.

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Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients nationwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled thousands of immigration cases.
The Professionals at Zhang & Associates are not only dedicated to the best service to our clients, but also committed to contribute our community and society. We advocate for the best interest of immigrants and push for immigration reforms in favor of the best interest of immigrants. We make donations to our community, and support public service programs, like public radio stations. We believe it is our responsibility to serve and contribute to the society.
Zhang & Associates, PC.
Houston ∙ New York ∙ Chicago ∙ Austin
Tel：1-800-230-7040, 713-771-8433
Email: @hooyou.com">info@hooyou.com
website：http://www.hooyou.com