The pace of climate change has picked up significantly in recent years and is threatening the welfare of our natural and agricultural environment, and by extension our lives, businesses, and futures. As a community, Irish veterinary practices are steeped in rural life through agriculture, and have a finger on the pulse of everyday life in towns and cities too. This unique position enables vets to recognise the role sustainable thinking and action can play in their businesses in the face of this major challenge.
XLVets Ireland are delighted to announce that our member, Ormonde Veterinary Hospital, Kilkenny, is the first veterinary practice in Ireland to have achieved an EcoMerit company certification. Following on from the XLVets Ireland and XLVets Skillnet certification last year, Ormonde Veterinary joins us with another four XLVets member sites to complete their certification journey in the coming weeks, with more to follow.
Aisling Raggett, practice manager at Ormonde Veterinary Hospital, said:
“Ormonde Veterinary Hospital endeavors in every way to be the best in class in all aspects of our business and this includes the environmental sustainability of our operations. We are very honored to have been chosen as the first ever veterinary practice in Ireland to receive this prestigious award. We have implemented a range of measures from monitoring and reducing our energy use to improving our heating control, reducing the use of single-use plastic, and managing our waste more effectively. We also have invested in the installation of solar panels on our roof so that we can start to generate our own green electricity.”
An EcoMerit Environmental Certification is awarded in recognition of a company’s commitment to minimising their environmental impact and improving the sustainability of their operations. This includes committing to an annual independent audit every year for five years in order to ensure sustainability targets are met in-house.
