DTUK1510

25DCPsJune 7-13, 2010United Kingdom Edition W hen it comes to pro- jecting your image to patients, in view of the serious environmental issues that face humanity, it’s important that your practice can demonstrate green credentials. Here are some measures based on saving energy and on reducing, re-using and re- cycling waste that you could em- brace to make a difference. Turn lights off whenever – and wherever – they aren’t needed. The Carbon Trust web- site offers stickers and posters to remind people to ‘switch it off’. Adjust the thermostat. The rec- ommended temperature in offices is 19 to 20˚C, so by turning the heating down by just 1˚C you can reduce your energy use by around 10 per cent. Around 30 per cent of the energy used in the UK is wasted. Turn off all electrical equip- ment when not in use. Printers, photocopiers and computers etc, should be turned off when they are not being used, especially at the end of the day. Even when left on standby, appliances use energy. A PC monitor left on overnight can waste enough electricity to laser print more than 500 pages. Don’t throw away paper. Avoid using more paper than you need and re-use paper that you no longer need. Here are some ideas to help: • Re-use paper that that has al- ready been printed on one side in your printers/fax machines • Don’t print out anything unless absolutely necessary • Re-use envelopes • Turn scrap paper into notepads • Photocopy/print double-sided Paper that goes to landfill in- stead of being re-used or recycled causes greenhouse gases that con- tribute to climate change. Organise a book swap/sale Not only will you be encouraging your colleagues and patients to use an environmentally friendly way of finding a home for all those books they have been meaning to get rid of for ages – it’s also a great way to learn and discover new interests. If everyone in the world was as wasteful as we are in the UK, we would need eight worlds. The average person in the UK throws out their body weight in waste every three months. Reuse ink cartridges and phones. You can send your used ink and toner cartridges and mo- bile phones to Actionaid, one of the UK’s largest international development organisations. Bet- ter still, start a collection in your workplace – Actionaid will collect for free. An estimated 90 million mobile phones are lying in draw- ers and cupboards around the UK. Recycling is all about ‘clos- ing the loop’ – not just recycling things you don’t need, but also buying back products made from recycled materials. There are now lots of recycled prod- ucts available for the workplace, from pens and mouse mats to note pads and printer/toner car- tridges. There is a range of recy- cled products available from the Ethical One Stop Shop website. Recycling and buying recycled products reduces carbon dioxide emissions compared with other ways of getting rid of waste. It also saves resources as the mate- rial is used to make a new prod- uct as well as the energy and water used during the manufac- turing process. DT In the age of being ‘green’, it’s important that you are seen to be operating an environmentally friendly practice, says Glenys Bridges Making a difference About the author Glenys Bridges is managing director of the Dental Resource Company, and has provided training for dental teams since 1992. For more information, visit www.dental-resource.com or call 0121 241 6693 UKP00246 Increments up to 4mm without layering Flowable for excellent cavity adaptation Compatible with your current adhesive* For a free sample** please call or email us on: The revolutionary way to save time *Chemicallycompatiblewithmethacrylatebasedadhesivesandcomposites.**Limitedsamplesavailable +44 (0)1932 837303 (quoting free SDR sample) FREE SDR™ Launch Events visit www.dentsply.co.uk/ SDR.aspx for more information