In this issue, there is an interesting article on sustainability; a concept which has been enjoying a renaissance of sorts in recent years as we learn more about ways to reduce our environmental impact and ensure that future generations will not have to deal with enduring problems as a result of our carelessness.
When I first started working in practice, many years ago, there was some awareness of recycling but it was nothing like the knowledge that we have today. Back then, we would dispose of large loads of plastic syringe cases into the rubbish bins and even at home we often just sent cans, plastic, glass and organic waste directly to the landfill without any sorting or recycling. Nowadays, it is virtually unheard of to do that; we now sort our waste into recycling, we compost our organic waste and we deliberately buy products with less packaging.
Medical waste can be much more challenging to recycle. In the clinic, we often use supplies that can only be used once before they need to be disposed of. We also must not dispose of offensive medical supplies in the general rubbish, even if they are perfectly clean, such as an unused but torn sterile glove. However, there is so much more to sustainability than just recycling. We all know that we should turn off the lights when we leave a room, but how many of us cycle to work to reduce our dependence on foreign oil? How many of us plant trees or donate to renewable energy research as a way to counteract the CO2 emissions we generate when travelling in an airplane? My guess is that very few of us do these things and if we do, we may not do it all the time.
Our reluctance to make sustainable choices may have something to do with an old fashioned stigma against ‘green’ ideas, but it also could be that we are more interested than ever to pay for convenience. Do any of you remember the old glass syringes that needed to be washed and boiled? The work that went into cleaning those was significant, and undoubtedly our patients are safer now that we use brand new syringes for their injections, but how are these unrecyclable products affecting the long-term future of our planet?
These are not questions that are easy to answer, and for many of us it may be simpler to continue on with what we are doing and hope that others will do the work for us, but we must start taking responsibility for our choices. If each one of us reading this makes one small change today, the impact will be large indeed. Incorporating sustainable practices into our daily work and personal lives encompasses so much more than just recycling and reducing energy usage, it also involves reducing usage of precious resources like water, and reducing negative economic and social impacts from our lifestyle choices.
In our clinics, we can choose energy efficient appliances, biodegradable materials and we can challenge our suppliers to provide us with their own robust sustainability policies. We can choose to buy locally produced products and we can improve our local ecosystems by taking action to protect our waterways and build up green planted areas. We can invest in renewable energy and not be afraid of taking action to support others who are doing the same. We can challenge legislators to produce sustainable outcomes and we can ensure that our own lifestyle choices are personally sustainable for ourselves and for our families. You may have noticed the addition of a ‘recycle’ logo on the contents page of The Veterinary Nurse with the words ‘the paper used within this publication has been sourced from Chain-of-Custody certified manufacturers… to ensure sustainable sourcing of raw materials.’ We at the journal must also do our bit.
In this holiday season, I hope we all can take a moment to appreciate how far we have come in our knowledge of sustainability and take pride in the fact that our sustainable choices today will make a difference for years to come. We at The Veterinary Nurse wish you a very happy holiday season and hope that you enjoy a peaceful and merry time with the ones you love.