Greening the Veterinary Practice
As the world continues to face the impacts of climate change, it has become more important than ever for individuals and organizations to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint. Here at Thrums, we recognised this need and assembled a “green team” at the end of 2022 to help us become a more sustainable veterinary practice.
As a veterinary practice, Thrums Vets has always been committed to providing the best care for our animal patients. But as we’ve grown, we’ve also recognized the importance of environmental sustainability and the impact our practice can have on the planet. That’s why we’ve embarked on a journey to “green” our practice and make it more sustainable.
Over the past six months, our green team has implemented a number of changes to reduce our environmental impact:
- Installing solar panels at the Kirriemuir branch making it completely powered by renewable energy
- Invested in a water purifier and oxygen generation to reduce the number of containers used
- Install composting bins for all garden and compostable waste (built by Vet Alex from recycled pallets)
- Encouraging paperless system; emailing invoices and receipts instead of printing and post
- Switching to compostable paper towels
- Installed a water butt to collect rainwater used clean vans, water plants, and wash down outdoor areas
- Transitioning our food packaging to more eco-friendly/recyclable materials
- Avoiding single-use products wherever possible
- Planted wildflowers to encourage local wildlife
- Using spare Loxicom syringes for lab work
- Reducing energy consumption; updated energy efficient LED lighting, prompts to turn off lights, turning off computers when not in use
- Using washing line more instead of tumble drying
- Using local suppliers for eco-friendly cleaning supplies and disposables where possible
- Sustainable office supplies
- Improved recycling plan: Increasing bins around the practices and improved sorting
- Using energy efficient lighting throughout the branches
As veterinarians, we have a responsibility to protect the health and welfare of animals, and that includes taking steps to protect the environment they live in.
Of-course there are endless ways we can and will continue to improve, but we hope this a good start to reducing our environmental impact and providing sustainable animal care.
Details of our Plans can be found here.
