Picking the low hanging fruit

Any thoughts on last weeks post about the dog biscuits and seeds innovation?  We would really like to hear your thoughts.  Here is the link again.  Please read it and share your thoughts.  There are no right or wrong answers and you don't have to be one of our students to post, so for the other people out there following this, we'd love your thoughts!

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What can you do right now - at work or at home for little or no cost?

This week we look at things you could do right now.  This list will not be complete.  We'd love you all to suggest at least one more thing to add to the list.  Lets inspire everyone to make simple changes.

• Block drafts - use draft stoppers (you can make these out of scrap material filled with sand for example, or the leg of an old pair of trousers, again filled with sand or maybe even other scrap fabric and seal doors and windows with that spongy tape.
• Turn the lights off when not in use
• Turn off your computers at night
• Change your light bulbs to more energy efficient ones
• Stop using the clothes dryer - hang wet towels/bedding and clothing on the line
• Stop printing receipts, and don't offer your clients an option - email them and tell them why
• Recycle all cardboard and paper - see if your wholesaler if you are working at a veterinary clinic will take back old boxes to be used for future orders.  
• Install curtains or blinds over windows for more insulation 
• Stop driving places that are closer than 2km from your home or work.  Walk or Bike!
• Try taking the bus some days instead of driving
• Have a competition with your family and friends or other businesses and see who can reduce their energy usage by the greatest percentage each month.  Do the same with fuel use too.  
• Plant a few lettuces in your garden.  You don't have to be green fingered to grow a few veges!

What other little things can you think of that can be done for little or no cost?

What changes have you been inspired to make this year?  

We look forward to hearing from you!

Have a great week.

Is this innovation really sustainable or is it greenwash?

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You have all been reading this blog for three and a half terms now, so its time that it got interactive!

Have a look at this video

This video is about a dog food company in Slovenia that has added live seeds to dog biscuits so where the dog does his business, a seed can grow.  

They suggest picking up dog faeces in public areas, but that in an area that has not been designed for public use (eg an old industrial site)  maybe you don't need to and that by using their biscuits you can beautify this landscape.

Is this marketing hype and greenwash, or a really good idea? What do you think?

Consider:

• The idea of not picking up dog faeces - do we want dog faeces lying around even in less used areas?
• Think about the microorganisms in dog faeces and land/water contamination if faeces aren't picked up
• The types of seeds used - what might be good choices given they are growing out of dog faeces? if the biscuits were imported or the seeds imported is there a biosecurity risk?  In NZ, would native seeds be better - will they grow out of dog poo?  
• Could the picked-up faeces be safely put in the garden elsewhere and the seeds allowed to germinate?
• Is dog faeces good compost - like we know sheep, horse, cow and chicken faeces are?

We look forward to your ideas.  Comment directly on the blog or in Moodle and we will summarise them (no names will be used) 

Paper Towels

This week Otago Polytechnic have launched a joint initiative with the Dunedin City Council to compost paper towels.  The trial will be re-evaluated after 3 months.  Paper towels can't be recycled with standard paper recycling as they are wet and also they are a different quality paper (often already recycled).   This is an exciting initiative for the polytechnic.  Remember if you are on campus to reserve the paper towel bins for only papers towels.  Any other rubbish contamination would jeopardise the initiative.  

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And the relevance to this blog audience, who are primarily off-campus?

Whether you are based on-campus or off-campus, as most of you are, this is a great initiative and it could be timely to look into for your paper towel disposal methods at your own workplace.  In veterinary clinics hand washing and drying, as well as table wiping, is far more frequent  due to the nature of the work.  This can generate significant amounts of rubbish if paper towels are used.

With the launch of the Otago Polytechnic initiative the challenge for you and/or your workplace, whether it be a veterinary clinic or another work place, is to  encourage you to undertake an evaluation of the method of hand drying and look for improvements and efficiency's.  

For hand drying:

• What do you use to dry your hands?
• What is most effective?  Remember completely dry hands is the aim.  
• Maybe you share a hand towel - is this suitable?  Are there any health and safety considerations?  The considerations may depend on the particular workplace.
• In a small workplace everyone might have an individual towel - does this work?  Could it work for your workplace?  Who washes the towels?  When are they washed?  What are they washed with? Is it a full load?  How are they dried?
• Perhaps you use one of those towel dispensers that rolls up the used towel.  As I understand it these are less and less available as an option and I imagine they were pretty energy intensive in terms of collecting them, dismantling, washing and putting back together.  
• Perhaps you use hand dryers.  How effective and efficient are these?  Could they be replaced with a more efficient type that actually dries your hands?
• Paper towels. Are they bleached or unbleached?  Where are they sourced from?  How many are used? How are they disposed of? Can they be composted in your area?  
• If you use paper towels, how can we effectively reduce the number used?  You need 2 or 3 to dry your hands effectively right? Have a look at this TEDtalk which begs to differ. 
• Evaluate the financial cost of each option - is the option also cost efficient?.   

For table wiping:

• What do you use?
• If its paper - is it bleached or unbleached?  Where are they sourced from?  How many are used? How are they disposed of? Could they be composted with the disinfectant you choose to use?
• Could something reusable like a CHUX cloth be used and then washed?  
• What is the energy and time cost of washing and reusing vs paper towels?  What is the financial cost differential?  Is there any risk of residual contamination on a reused cloth?
• Does the disinfectant used have any environmental risks which preclude washing a cloth? 
• If the disinfectant used does have environmental risks, refer to this blog post.  

By using these questions as a starting point you can start reviewing the cost of what you use currently vs other options  both financially, environmentally and also in terms of health and safety and time efficiency.

The best option is likely to vary between workplace and region.  The key is to work out the best option for the specific situation considering all these factors: cost, safety, environment, source of the initial product, size of waste stream.  I am sure you can think of more.  

We look forward to hearing your thoughts.  If anyone wants to share an evaluation they have completed on this or another area of their workplace (doesn't need to be a veterinary clinic) we would appreciate the opportunity to showcase (and credit) your work/story.

Alcohol

I am sure you are wondering about the title and why would this have anything to do with the topic of FutureFocusVet.  What has inspired this post is the Nigel Latta series currently running on Tuesday evenings on TV1.  Episode 3 inspired this blog.  You can watch episode 3 here.  And I would highly recommend it.  

Why am I blogging on it?

1. Students (as a group of society) are well known for over indulging in the drink.  But so are many professionals, so within any industry that you, our students, will be entering into - you may be exposed to it in the workplace too.  
2. Alcohol is a Class A drug - just like Tobacco but also other harder drugs 
3. Alcohol is a carcinogen, and no level is considered safe in terms of risk.  Every small bit increases risk.  
4. Cognitive function and productivity is affected by Alcohol.
5. New Zealand has a binge drinking culture.
6. So many families are affected by violence and other abuse fueled by alcohol.
7. The companies that produce alcohol are largely overseas corporates - yep, all those quintessentially NZ brands are owned by companies like Mitsubishi and Heinekin, so the profits go off shore.  
8. Advertising and sponsorship is still allowed by alcohol companies (unlike tobacco) including of sports teams.  Marketing is insidious and often targets underage drinkers, which gets them hooked.  
9. The costs of alcohol in NZ annually in terms of illness, car accidents and so on is thought to be approximately $5 billion - that is over $13 million per day.  Yes it is true that they put money into education - but compared to the costs to society, the investment in education is limited.

So as you can see above these are the drivers of change.  Continuing as we are is not sustainable.  The social and financial costs are too high.  There are also potential environmental costs too when we look at large tracks of land being put into a monoculture of grapes for example, not to mention the energy costs of making and recycling glass bottles and cans.  

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What does it look like when alcohol is sustainable?

We all know the truth -  Our money is going overseas when we buy most brands ijn New Zealand. Worse yet, alcohol causes cancer, and can even be linked to cancer at low levels of drinking. It kills off brain cells, and it wrecks families and friendships. So, what does it look like if we are sustainable consumers of alcohol?

1. Advertising for all alcohol is limited or even banned
2. Individuals choose to drink socially and responsibly - it becomes a stigma to binge drink and over indulge.  THis also reduces the waste stream produced.
3. Children are educated from a young age about the risks (as early as year 7 or 8) as parents cant be relied on to do this.
4. People buy locally produced alcohol to support our local economy and reduce energy use from transport overseas. 

If you drink, drink responsibly and understand the industry and consequences.  Definitely take some time out to watch the Nigel Latta series and consider getting your pre-teen children (and older) to watch it with you.  It will form a great opening for a conversation .  

Please feel free to post your comments, ideas and feedback.  We love to hear from you.  

Antibiotic resistance

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Antibiotic resistance is a hot topic at present and is one that is very relevant to sustainable practice.

Antibiotics need to be preserved for when they are really needed.  If we don't do this, we risk epidemic bacterial diseases, with nothing to fight them with. The impacts of this on our society and economy are huge. 

Many of us are already aware that all medical and veterinary professionals are being encouraged to prevent antibiotic overuse.  It is believed that the exponential growth of antibiotic resistant bugs is due to the overexposure of people and animals to antibiotics. This overexposure could develop from situations such as being prescribed antibiotics when they are not required. Exposure to antibiotic residues in food and water are also a serious concern as is only taking half the dose or not finishing the course prescribed. 

Things you should know

1. Antibiotics are not suitable for treating viruses so if you or your pet have a cold or flu virus (with no secondary bacterial infection), then supportive treatment like heeping well hydrated, resting and taking anti inflammatory medications are all that will be required. 
2. Most elective surgeries are sterile and can be completed without risk of secondary bacterial contamination - therefore routine use for every surgery should be reviewed by the the professional in charge.
3. In many cases antibiotics are prescribed by veterinary and medical professionals without real  evidence that they are required, or they may be used prophylactically in a situation that does not necessarily justify this practice.

Questions to ask yourself?

• Have you ever insisted on antibiotics for yourself or your animal from the medical or veterinary professional and they have given in to your request?
• Have you ever been given antibiotics and not finished the course?
• Are routine antibiotics (such as post routine surgery) given in the veterinary practice you work in?

If you've answered yes to any of these questions, you may have seen a situation that had the potential to lead to an increase in antibiotic resistance. 

Consider doing the following:

• Ask your medical professional  - why to I need antibiotics?  
• If you are prescribed antibiotics, take the whole course as prescribed
• As an animal owner, ask your veterinary professional - why does my pet need antibiotics? 
• If your pet has been prescribed antibiotics, give the whole course as prescribed.

In a veterinary clinic you might be working in, prescribing medications is the veterinarian's responsibility, but you may be able to open a dialogue to discuss antibiotic use. For example, you can consider surgical asepsis of the environment, staff and patient and suggest to your practice owners that it would be prudent to review routine antibiotic use. Come with evidence about how it would improve finances and safety for people and animals.

In a farm situation it is much the same - its the veterinarians decision to prescribe medications, but as a tech or animal owner, you might see antibiotics being used and wonder why, or if they are actually needed.  Talk to the veterinarian in charge and get them to explain it to you. 

Antibiotics do play an important role in our healthcare, after all, it was the invention of antibiotics that stopped many epidemic diseases in their tracks like smallpox and cholera.  However, there are serious risks with their use in terms of our future ability to fight disease and with virtually no new antibiotics being discovered, we are at risk of developing resistance to the ones we currently use and if those are no longer effective, our future health is at risk.

If you want more, Read about antibiotic resistance here

Free Green Apps

Last night I finally got around to reading the latest issue of Good Magazine (at least a month after it arrived!).  If you don't already read this and this topic is up your alley, its worth looking into.  Its great value and you can get an annual subscription through FlyBuys too. 

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There are so many great ideas and stories, but this week I thought I'd share some of the FREE Apps they suggest for becoming more eco-aware.  

• Project Noah - A guide to world wildlife that can be used in the field that's suitable for kids  .  
• EcoChallenge - This app contains ecochallenges to improve daily sustainability. 
• What's on my food - Because not all pesticides are equal, this app highlights the ones that are potentially more dangerous and therefore better avoided.
• Battery Doctor - This app ensures your device is running as efficiently as possible and can help improve battery life and therefore daily power usage too. 
• The Plant Doctor - This app can be used to send plant symptoms to a professional plant pathologist for diagnosis.  There is also the Yates app, which has clear pictures of common diseases symptoms of edible plants and advice of treatment.  
• Conscious consumers - Find hospitality businesses in town that are making a difference.  You can also join their Facebook page too.  
• Go Green - This app has useful hints and tips you can use everyday to reduce your environmental footprint.  
• iRecycle - Has over 1.5 million ways to recycle materials as well as updates on living a little lighter on the earth.  
• Pollution - This apps provides a list of pollutants in your area in the air.  
• Good Fish Guide - This app explains what fish are ok to eat as stocks are plentiful, what you should avoid due to over fishing.

If you search "Green Living"  and "Sustainability" at the App store you will find many others. 

Do you use these Apps?  What do you think of them?

Have you got others you'd like to suggest?

Tell us about them here.

Have a great week

Sharing - across workplaces and in your community

Welcome back to term 3!  This weeks blog I thought I would introduce the concept of sharing.  

At the very core of sustainable practice is sharing:

• Sharing is good for social aspects - to share you have to talk to other people!  
• It is good for the financial bottom line - if you share resources, you reduce investment required in plant and equipment.  For example you could buy a top of the line ultrasound machine, spending a little more capital, but share the costs of it over 3 veterinary clinics and have it last far longer than the slightly cheaper version you might have brought for just one practice.  
• It is good for the environment - if you share there is less stuff needing to be made, and to dispose of at the end of its life.

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Have a look at these pod casts to consider more about sharing:

• Story of Stuff - Sharing Part 1 
• Story of Stuff - Sharing Part 2 

Getting started:

At home:

• Share some produce that you have grown with friends, family and neighbours.
• Share a lawnmower, power drill or gardening equipment between neighbours.
• Share a second car between neighbours - perhaps often one car sits in your driveway most of the time but on occasion you need 2.  If all households had one car and then there was a communal share of a second car.
• Share clothes with friends.

At work (veterinary clinic examples):

• Consider sharing large outlay items - ultrasound, digital radiography, CAT scan machines. 
• Share staff - perhaps there is a veterinary nurse who has a part time role but would like a full time role and a neighbouring practice needs a part time nurse - collaborate and create a full time job.

Tell us about sharing that you undertake either at home or work.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Have a great week.