Firm News, Community
Sowell Gray Lawyers Take to the Streets to Help Keep Columbia Clean
They traded suits and ties for shorts and T-shirts for a good cause recently, when the staff of Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte hit the streets to clean up downtown Columbia.
Armed with trash bags, the 18 people patrolled six blocks of Lady Street in the city’s historic Vista district as part of the firm’s commitment to the Keep The Midlands Beautiful program.
“Adopting the street was a natural step for us,” Managing Member Cal Watson said. “We’re committed to taking care of the environment – in this case, we’re taking that pledge very literally.”
As an official Columbia Green Business, Sowell Gray reduces office waste by using electronic documents rather than paper when possible and by recycling paper when it must be used, as well as plastic, aluminum and other resources.
The very offices the firm occupies – in a building that served as a schoolbook repository when it was built in the early 1900s – is a classic example of reuse. Sowell Gray opted to renovate the historic structure rather than build an office elsewhere.
And now, the firm is taking care of the area around that office, at the corner of Lady and Gadsden Streets. The adoption area, Lady from Assembly to Huger Streets, extends three blocks on both sides of the building.
“We want to create a cleaner, more pleasant environment for our visitors and our neighbors. By adopting the street, we’re taking action to make sure that goal is achieved,” Watson said, noting that the program requires the firm to clean up its adopted area four times a year.
For more information about the Keep the Midlands Beautiful campaign, go to http://www.keepthemidlandsbeautiful.org/. Click on the Adopt-A-Highway link and then on the City of Columbia link for information about how to adopt a street.
About Sowell Gray
Located in Columbia’s historic Vista district, Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC provides business and litigation representation in all state and federal trial and appellate courts. Founded in 1996, the firm serves clients ranging from multi-national corporations to small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit sowell.com.