Green News - Silver Level IIE Accreditation Achieved

07/03/23

Huge congratulations to The Green Team for achieving Silver Level Investors In the Environment certification.

Silver certification acknowledges that we have demonstrated commitment to reducing our environmental impact and to the continual improvement of our sustainability performance by meeting or exceeding silver level accreditation criteria.

This year was our second year of participating in the Investors in the Environment accreditation. Despite a busy clinical year with many changes and new faces we continued to measure our resources to reach reduction targets.

Key examples of how we have aimed to reach our targets this year include:

• Continuing to monitor our meter readings and track our resource use at all branches.
• Keeping up our waste saving initiatives using less single use items and teracycle schemes. This year we pushed to recycle even more flexible plastic through teracycle by saving syringe wrappers in clinical areas from the general waste.
• We have continued to review how energy is used in the practice and making sure systems are turned off overnight and on weekends to save usage.
• Old windows at the Market Harborough branch have been replaced with new double glazing to improve energy efficiency.
• Completed our first travel survey and installed bike racks at Market Harborough. 
• Through clinical meetings and CPD we have implemented a new low flow anaesthesia protocol and optimised our pain relief protocols for surgical cases and hospital patients including using more local anaesthesia and intravenous infusions. This has allowed us to reduce isoflurane use.
• Staff took part in a number of projects outside of work including maintaining our garden space, fancy dress litter pick and an environmental themed movie night.