The Commitment
The Commitment
Let’s be blunt. A quick photograph of you planting a tree will not resolve the environmental issues we are creating in the dental profession. Nor will simply buying off our carbon footprints. We need to apply ourselves to energy use reduction. We need to address how much single-use plastic goes through our clinics and how they are disposed of. We need to consider the disposal of amalgam waste and medications.
In short, we need to make the effort and we need that impetus to happen now. With your commitment, anything is possible. We can make the small changes that will make the big impacts.
These are the 6 steps towards commitment:
Now you have taken these 6 steps, you can start your public promotion on social media and your website. Use the Net Zero Dentistry badge to let the world know that you are trying to make this a better place for everyone. Together we can make things possible.
How can we offset?
You are under no obligation to offset or mitigate any of your carbon emissions. However, your contribution goes towards the dental profession's total, making us a cleaner, more cost effective profession.
Rather than our company managing the offset programme (and handling financial transactions), we feel that a "hands-off" approach is more transparent and credible.
Working closely with Ecologi.com, we have an account for Net Zero Dentistry where we can all electively purchase trees and carbon offset. By using this third party, we are confident that we can maximise our impact on the global issues we are responsible for, and payback some of the damage we are creating.
However, this in itself is not enough. It would simply be "greenwashing" if we gave money to offset our carbon without taking steps to eradicate the problems we are causing.
There are 2 ways of paying your carbon offset. Firstly, you can go to our page on Ecologi's website to volunteer a payment. Secondly, we are able to offer a Premium listing on DefactoDentists.com which costs £50 per month. In turn, they will collectively donate 50% of your monthly payments to NetZeroDentistry's offset programme on Ecologi.com. Superb marketing drive and an amazing level of support!
Dental Clean 2022
We all feel guilty about the volume of single-use plastic that we dispose of every day. We are also aware of the amount of plastic that is spread from land to sea with shocking results. This is why we have elected to work closely with the Marine Conservation Society.
September 24th and 25th is the Great British Beach Clean. We want you and your team to spend a day clearing plastic waste and other waste from our shores. However, our rivers and parklands feed our seas so the problem is not limited to rubbish on our beaches.
The Marine Conservation Society help us to organise "clean-ups" across the UK. There will be a clean-up day organised in your area, if not, they will organise it for you!
This is a super team building opportunity. If each clinic got their team involved, and friends, patients, families, then we will have a massive impact on the environment across the UK. Can you imagine the local and national coverage this would attract? The dental profession would be seen in a positive light and will hopefully negate much of the negative press we have been receiving of late.
Watch out on our social media channels for news of the first event!
Bees
Have you considered installing a bee hive?
Bees are responsible for cross pollination which feeds our plants. The cycle that this creates supports our eco-system. Without the work that bees do, our plant life would wither and other wildlife would starve. They really are a cornerstone of our ecological balance.
We swipe at that, chase them with rolled up newspapers, but most of us are unaware of how vitally important they are to our existence.
If you are not comfortable with having hundreds of bees in your vicinity, you can take steps to provide them with the food they need to survive. Please consider planting Lavender outside your clinic. Not only does it smell amazing (an incredible welcome for your patients), but it is a great resource for our bees. Other plants you could plant outside your clinic, or in your gardens include Abelia, Marjoram, Crocus, Lilac and Foxgloves.
We can now see a number of clinics with hives on their roofs or back yards. If you are interested in looking at this, there is a tremendous beekeeping community across the UK.
Please let us know what actions you are taking so that we can learn and share.
Sponsors
As dentists, we will contribute whatever we can to this initiative and every pound raised will make a difference to our environment and climate in the UK. However, contribution from those who supply our profession will allow us to move forward with larger scale plans.
Some large name sponsors have already come forward and we look forward to working with every supplier to the profession in order to achieve change. We would ask you to encourage suppliers to your clinic to help us all achieve the changes we urgently need.
