A real example of a green veterinary clinic

Just to prove that it is possible to do something - check out this veterinary clinic.  They have done some great work and have shared it on their website, including some presentations from the practice principal.  Have a look - you might find some inspiration for your practice here!

http://www.aspenmeadowvet.com/green_tour.html

What I found really exciting about this is what they have done fits very well with the work I have been putting together and presenting here around the sustainable veteirnary practice. 

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I have been in touch with Aspen Meadow Vets regarding polar fleece useage as they indicated this is the bedding they use in their information.   This is something that has certainly come up in discussions we have had around what is the best bedding as of course polar fleece is made from recycled PET bottles - which is great in terms of getting another use about of them, however the source product - PET bottles are not sustainable of course so in an ideal world we would want to create a cyclic system.   

Response regarding fleece:

"I am so excited to hear you guys are working on greening veterinary medicine too.  Our washing machines and driers have lint catches and so all of the fleece that comes off is caught up in that and is put into the trash.  So it could make it into waterways via landfill.  But honestly, the amount of fleece that comes off is very little.  I would think there are different types of fleece and level of quality. Ours is a 2in thick version that has large wool-like curls.  And so maybe that makes a difference. With our high efficiency washer and driers, the washing machines are front loader and spin at 1600rpm.  So when the fleece comes out, it is almost dry already.  Then the driers have a sensor that knows when the load is dry.  So it dries in 5minutes.  The key is to make sure that only fleece is washed with fleece.  If you get a piece of cotton, it will dry in 30minutes, when the cotton is dry.  So when its all fleece, its just 5minutes to dry.  Really efficient way to go."

So some great feedback here which all makes sense and is working within the environment we currently have and I think offers some good solutions.  Easy to implement solutions.  Once your clinic has the high efficency machines/dryers and is using polar fleece, then the next step might be to look for truely cyclic alternatives like modern wool fabric which has similar properties to polar fleece.  There is no doubt this is a process and we will never be 100% perfect in one step.  So don't wait, take some steps that are realistic in your practice and reflect and modify over time as new knowledge and ready availability of products changes.
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I also asked if they had  a solution on cat and dog faeces disposal yet, as this is an area I am looking into.

Response regarding Faeces:

"We do not have an answer for the faeces.  Some people with more guts than me have composted it and grew a garden in back of the clinic."

Good to know I haven't missed anything I guess in my  thoughts regarding this but now to find a solution.  Faeces going to landfill is a major problem as it release greenhouse gases during breakdown and  faeces left on the footpath/along dog paths end up in waterways which increase contamination. But becasue of potential contamiantion is shouldn;t go in our greenwaste. 

You will find a possible solution here which I am looking into: http://www.disbin.co.nz/.  Thanks to the generosity of Helen, from Disbin, currently 2 staff offsite and the team onsite are using this system or a variation on it (they have swapped the cardboard bin for a plastic one).  The plan is to put together a research project looking at solutions for dog and cat faeces disposal which includes looking at bacterial, parasitic and protozoal contamination following the bokashi treatment among a number of other things.  If you have any ideas let me know.

I'd also love to hear what you do with your dog and cat faeces.
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Have a great week
Francesca

Ethical dilemma

Here is an animal ethics dilemma for you

There are three common ways eggs are produced for human consumption

Image Source: http://www.brightside.org.au/bloogoocms/asp/print_template.asp?articleID=430 

Battery

3 hens to a cramped cage, fed a measured diet.  As we know they develop all sorts of displacement activities but these can be maintained as specific pathogen free (eg free from salmonella). The pressure is on to ban this form of farming completely.



Source: http://thesolution.org.nz/2012/03/20/why-colony-cages-rather-than-barn-laid-eggs/

Barn eggs

These chickens are reared in a large barn - have nesting boxes, can move from one end to the other, and look happy and healthy in the one I have been in.  It is possible to have these as "specific pathogen free - eg free from salmonella which is an issue for eggs, but the birds are still inside and when you look at it from a birds eye view it looks cramped.

Image source: http://www.animal-voice.org/if-you-buy-buy-free-range/

Free Range

Great marketing, looks really great having them outside at least some of the time, the chickens look happy, they can forage and get there nutrition from a range of sources. This is certainly normal chicken environment and behaviour.  However they can't be maintained as specific pathogen free (eg salmonella contamination of eggs is more likely), they are more at risk of parasites and predation (depending on how they are free ranged) and the weather can impact on them if they are not provided with enough shelter.  Their production levels may be lower too as they utilise more energy foraging than producing.   


For meat chickens they are reared in barns (often on floors within a single barn), similar to barn egg production or free range. Similar issues apply and you can add campylobacter into the mix too which is a common meat contaminant.

Of course this isn't the full story -

If free range chickens are rotated around a farm and foillowed by sheep for example they are adding natural fertiliser and cleaning up parasites in front of sheep, which are cleaning up the chicken parasites for example. This is being done naturally without the use of transport (oil) to more the fertiliser made by chicken poo to where it is needed.

However it is fact that chickens reared indoors in cramped conditions are more efficient at converting feed to meat/egg production and therefore intensively reared chicken have a lower carbon footprint than free range, but at the cost of poorer animal welfare according to one reference I read.

This may vary when you look at using the chickens to fertilise land ahead of other stock and the source of the chicken meal fed to the chickens.

Barn eggs/chickens also have an advantage of being very efficient in terms of land use, and within barns it should be possible to harness any of the gases released and used for energy sources too and all waste can be collected and used for fertiliser.

The ethical contiuum

For all our student readers who have studied ethics, you will know that we all sit somewhere different on the ethical continuum, but that it important not to form you ethical opinion until you have got infomration about all sides.

Is animal welfare your primary concern, is it carbon footprint, or is it a combination?

The aim of this post is just to point out that what seems best or worst is not always that simple and we make the best decision we can make with the information we have.

Why not learn more about the brand of eggs you buy (and any of the food for that matter). Take a pasture to plate approach to eating. 

Read more about the farm and what they do and their philosophies - if its good they are bound to be on the web.  If its not they probably won't be. This might help you to make your decision.  If you can't find them - call them on the contact number provider on the box of eggs!

Maybe we should just all have our own backyard hens?

Look forward to your comments

Have a great weekend!

Francesca