The days of “going green” being a trend are slowly disappearing. Going green is now becoming not only a reality, but a necessity. Given the growing concern over climate change, single-use plastics, water shortages, and other environmental problems, many of us also want to make a difference for the planet. Perhaps you recycle at home or you donate to environmental causes. But have you thought about being eco-friendly where you work? A healthy environment is good for us and also for our patients. Many businesses across the world are adopting green habits to reduce waste and conserve energy.

Have you implemented green policies in your practice? If you haven’t, here are a few easy and inexpensive ideas to get you started.

Reduce—reduce your energy and resource consumption.
Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
Shut down your computer at the end of the day.
Unplug your personal and work devices once they’re charged.
Switch to LED lightbulbs.
Get rid of aerosol products
Plan the office layout to maximize natural light and ventilation
Carpool to work with colleagues
Put indoor plants around the office. Plants have shown to reduce stress.
Bring your meals to work in reusable containers
Go paperless when you can. There are some very useful paperless apps now available where you can log all your patients information, fill in case history and even complete their audiogram and other test information. Print on both sides of paper. Advocate for purchasing recycled paper. Use a whiteboard for in common work spaces. Contact professional organisations and ask them to remove you from their paper mailing list and sign up for emails instead.
Reuse—reuse office and treatment materials.
Instead of paper and plastic in the tea break room, use real dishes and silverware. If this isn’t an option, advocate for compostable plates or those made from recycled plastic.
Use a water cooler instead of bottled water. Encourage your colleagues to use their own mug or reusable water bottle to fill up during the day.
Reuse packing envelopes and boxes. You can use them for your own shipping needs.
Recycle—if you can’t reduce or reuse it, recycle it.
Batteries. Encourage patients to bring back their old batteries and once your box of old batteries is full, send to a battery recycling center. .
Ink cartridges. Many office supply stores recycle these.
Paper.
Cardboard.
Plastic.
Aluminum cans.
Electronics.
You can start making a difference in the health of our planet today!