We often compare working at Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) as hopping on a rocketship. We set the course, and we’re reaching the stars, and reinventing veterinary emergency care in unbelievable ways!
This includes taking an earth-friendlier approach toward finding sustainable practices in veterinary care. After all, our mission is helping people and their pets when they need it most! This applies to the work we do in our ERs, and outside too. All creatures deserve a cleaner, greener planet, so we’re doing our part to reduce our carbon pawprint, er, footprint.
HOW TO BE SUSTAINABLE IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
We stood up our green initiative in 2022 with stakeholders from various areas in VEG, like our Procurement & Inventory, Design & Construction, and Marketing departments. We looked at our green initiative globally to allow for multiple perspectives and greater ideas.
Here are just a few successes from our VEG Green initiative:
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLIER HOSPITALS
Love these gloves - We've purchased over 14,000 boxes of biodegradable examination gloves. That’s 1.4 million gloves that will decompose in approximately 490 days.* Traditional nitrile gloves take 100-200 years to break down!
Canceling containers - VEG is no longer buying disinfectant wipes in containers. Instead, we’re purchasing refill packs, which eliminates the use of thousands of plastic containers!
Put a lid on plastic - We’re piloting using biodegradable pill vials in some of our hospitals. These earth-friendlier pill bottles are made of 100% plant-based and biodegradable material—even the lids!
Charged-up benefits - All of the ERs that we’ve built from the ground up have switched to rechargeable batteries to power battery-operated office and medical equipment. This reduces battery waste and saves money over time.
Power to the paper - Using printer paper from 30% recycled materials has been a win-win for us and the environment.
SUPPORTING OTHERS FOR A GREENER PLANET
What’s better than going green? Partnering up with like-minded organizations! We’ve implemented an in-kind donation program to support local nonprofits. As VEG adds more hospitals throughout the U.S., we’ve had a few relocations too. So, relocate and renew became our mantra! As we purchased equipment upgrades in the new locations—we were able to give older (but still perfectly operational!) equipment a new home!
VEG’s equipment donations help local non-profit wildlife organizations. It’s one more way VEG can help serve our communities!
Wild about helping - Our old Boynton Beach location has donated an ultrasound system to Florida Wildlife Hospital. This system can impact the health of the 5,000 injured wild animals they rescue each year.
That’s so fly - Several pieces of equipment from VEG’s South Brooklyn relocation went to NYC’s Wild Bird Fund. This helped them outfit their second facility in Brooklyn with a full x-ray machine, exam lights, and an anesthesia machine. Now, it’s all available to help the 15,000+ injured and orphaned birds they rescue each year!
X out chemicals - The use of x-ray film is damaging, as it’s processed with chemicals, which can be harmful to the earth and people. With relocations for two of our emergency animal hospitals, VEG Clifton and VEG Fort Worth, we were able to donate x-ray plates to International Bird Rescue's two California facilities. These systems reduced the time it takes for them to get X-rays from ~20 minutes to 5 seconds, and helped them ditch the film and go greener!
Lighten up - Dual surgery lights from VEG’s South Brooklyn relocation went to SeaLifeR3. This organization is the Pacific Northwest's only dedicated marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation center!
THE FUTURE'S SO BRIGHT: GOING GREENER IN VET MED
So, that’s for starters! VEG Green has eyes on ways to:
Moving all exam gloves to biodegradable
Rolling out biodegradable pill bottles in all hospitals
Reduce carbon emissions
Install EV charging stations
Use biodegradable pet collars/cones
We’re always looking for new ideas to help us be cleaner and greener. It’s not always easy in vet med, but VEG is making big, bold strides for today and all of our tomorrows!
*Source: Natrle.com; Tested per ASTM 5526.
