2024 is well and truly in full swing, January is when resolutions are made, goals for the rest of the year are set and here at Mayne Vets is no different!
We want to continue being an example for what veterinary practices can achieve, play our part in reducing our carbon footprint and continue striving for a greener and more sustainable future.
We’ll let you in on a sneak peek of a few of our plans for this year! We want to continue supporting our local community, so you’ll see us doing a few more litter picks, install some bird boxes as part of the ‘West Bergholt Swift Project’, and contribute to the Colchester Food Bank. As always we want to continue monitoring our resources and decrease where we can. Our biggest plan for 2024 is to change from the anaesthetic gas isoflurane to sevoflurane, which has a lower impact on the environment.
Here’s a look back at 2023 and our top achievements of the year:
- We achieved Green accreditation (the highest award) from Investors in the Environment, an organisation helping businesses reduce their environmental impact and support them through their sustainability. We started our green journey back in 2019, having achieved Bronze accreditation initially (and being the first vets in Essex to do so), before succeeding to gain our green status, which we hope to continue maintaining for years to come.
- We implemented a sustainable travel plan for our team and sustainable awards for our clients. Team members are incentivised to travel to work either by walking, getting public transport, cycling or car sharing. For our clients we reward those who visit in a sustainable way to appointments and collecting their pets medication. Their name is added to our ‘eco raffle’ each time they visit and we carry out a draw every 3 months with prizes to be won.
- We were shortlisted in the 2023 Investors in The Environment awards as the ‘Sustainable Travel Champion’, alongside two big company names Elanco and The British Veterinary Association (BVNA). Although we didn’t win, the recognition for the work we are doing was an honour!
- Whilst continuing to reduce our carbon footprint, such as implementing a ‘Green Procurement List‘ we have also offset carbon the clinic has used by investing into organisations such as, The Envira Amazon Project, Mozambique Safe Water Project and Malawi Cook Stove Project to aid communities and decrease forest loss.
- As well as offsetting our carbon footprint of all our Pet Health Club members, we planted a tree for each pet as a Christmas gift.
- The team took part in the ‘Love to Ride’ challenge back in May, we managed to cycle 323 miles and saved 156lb of carbon, recuing our car emissions and coming first in our group category in Essex.
- We carried out a litter pick around our local community in West Bergholt over the summer. The team and their families managed to collect 8.74kg of rubbish!
- We donated old and surplus uniforms to InterCare Team, and organisation who provides medical aid to Africa.
We can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for us!