Call to make sustainability a 2022 priority

Veterinary professionals are being urged to get the new year off to a good start by making sustainability a priority.

The British Veterinary Association hopes to inspire veterinary professionals from around the UK to join #GreenTeamVet in 2022 and sign a sustainability pledge for positive change.

#GreenTeamVet pledges, which have been signed by dozens of veterinary professionals since being announced at London Vet Show in November, are:

To practise responsible resource use
To be sustainable in my operation
To use medicines responsibly
To empower my team

Becoming greener can help more than just the environment; being more sustainable can also be a big benefit for workplaces by helping to save money and resources, reducing waste, improving staff engagement and helping to retain and attract staff too.

BVA President Justine Shotton said: “We know how busy veterinary professionals are on a day-to-day basis and that the workforce is more stretched than ever before. But we also know that, when it comes to sustainability, even simple changes can really make a difference and of course, the more people who take part, the greater the impact will be.

“You may decide to give yourself more of a challenge but something as simple as promising to always recycle or to save resources by printing fewer hard copies really does make a difference. Even just telling your colleagues about your pledge and reasons for signing up helps to spread the word and encourages more people to do their part.”

To kick start the actions, BVA is sharing some suggestions of easy things veterinary professionals can do to get started:

Get a separate bin for dry mixed recycling in your clinical areas to increase the amount of waste you can recycle
Read and action these top tips to reduce the impact of your anaesthetic gases
Put up signs to remind everyone to switch appliances off to save energy
Challenge yourself to buy #LessAndBetter meat and dairy products this month, making sure you always #ChooseAssured
Start a conversation on ideas to green your workplace and encourage your colleagues to make pledges too

To increase the impact of pledges even further, BVA is encouraging everyone who has signed up to a pledge to share this on their social media, or even share pictures of themselves taking part.

To find out more and to make a pledge, visit www.bva.co.uk/greenteamvet