How do you think we can move towards a greener veterinary profession?

One Health at the heart of everything

At the centre of the sustainability wall is the concept of One Health, recognising that human, animal, and environmental health are inextricably linked. The veterinary profession is well aware of this connection, playing an essential role in protecting and advancing human, public, and environmental health.

Mental health and the human-animal bond feature prominently, recognising the benefits animals and nature bring to human health, and that vets need to care for themselves in order to care for others.

One of the standout images is the mini world with easily identifiable wild animals around it and an important statement in the middle: we need a biodiverse world. It’s reassuring to see members of the profession recognising the link between reduced biodiversity and increased vulnerability to disease and pandemics, a true one health problem.

Did you spot: the penguin next to the camel? Hopefully this isn’t a sign of temperatures to come.

Challenging waste

One of the most prominent headings on the wall is ‘challenging waste’.

Many of you recognised that recycling all you can is important, and auditing practice waste is a great way to check that you are recycling as much as possible.

Replacing single use plastics rightly came up, with gowns, drapes and cups all getting a mention. Plus, replacing paper with an online management system was suggested as a way to cut paper use.

Appropriate measures and sizes featured too – this is something for those in practice as well as those making the products you buy to consider when creating and packaging items.

Did you spot: the happy face on the recycling bin? Maybe decorating bins like this could help your practice to recycle more?

Carbon footprint

Around the wall are lots of suggestions you had to cut your workplace carbon footprints.

A drawing of a light switch represents the energy saving tips we all know about, and reminds that conserving energy supplies is essential. Energy use when you are out and about needs to be considered too, and electric vehicles were given a spotlight too.

Veterinary practices can make a big difference by considering their use of anaesthetic gases - Ellie West provided her expert advice on this topic in this Vet Record article.

It was great to see that ethical pensions got a mention too, as research shows this is a very powerful way to cut your carbon footprint. You can read about why our JVP Malcolm Morley made this his #GreenTeamVet pledge earlier this year.  

Did you spot: the dreaming dog? It looks like the dog wants to chase rabbits – a reminder that we also need to be mindful of pets around wildlife.

Using medicines responsibly

Use of medicines is a key area in which veterinary professionals can have a positive sustainability impact.

The need for antimicrobial stewardship shines through, recognising that antimicrobial resistance is an issue for animals and humans.

The potential impact of parasiticide products used on both farm and companion animals also feature, showing dung beetles and aquatic invertebrates as some of the wildlife being affected. Overtreatment and how owners might be disposing of any medicines are also highlighted as concerns.

Most importantly, you added preventative healthcare as a solution, highlighting that good health and welfare leads to fewer ongoing issues and therefore less medications being used.

Did you spot: the cuddly toy waiting for its flea treatment? That really would be overtreatment!

Advocacy and education

Conservation relies on working with people and communities to find the right solutions for them and their environment, so it was positive to see improving equality and education pictured, and ethics and advocacy are promoted all over the wall.

As trusted advisers in many communities, vets around the world really can play a key role in supporting sustainability.

Did you spot: the very enthusiastic sustainability champion? If you’ve read this article, perhaps this would be a good role for you in your workplace.

Summary

This wall was designed using comments from #GreenTeamVet. It’s encouraging to see the breadth of topics being mentioned, showing that #GreenTeamVet already has the knowledge to work towards a greener profession. Now it’s time to put it all into practice.

For more tips and ideas, watch the recordings from the Green Veterinary Practice Webinar Series we produced with Vet Sustain and VDS Training. Each of the six webinars focuses on a different topic around sustainability, discussing the key points and ideas for how to embed the key principles into your workplace.