L-R: Lauren Buckley, Jenny Pearson and Lauren Bate
A popular animal hospital in Runcorn has earned a prestigious national environmental award which shines a light on its eco-friendly practices and sustainability programmes.
Linnaeus-owned Northwest Veterinary Specialists (NWVS) has been accredited as a Silver level practice by Investors in the Environment (iiE), just over a year since it achieved Bronze level.
iiE is a nationwide initiative that encourages firms to transform their working practices to introduce more environmentally-friendly, cleaner and more sustainable methods and systems.
The iiE audit report stated that NWVS has continued to incorporate sustainability as a key value throughout the practice by further developing its environmental management systems and addressing new areas of its operations, namely procurement, travel and transport.
It further highlighted that sustainability has become a primary consideration for the purchasing of goods and services, and that NWVS has made several switches to reusable or low-waste products.
Specific actions include taking part in a Linnaeus energy reporting pilot programme for half-hourly smart meter electricity data which can be visualised through heat maps.
NWVS has also introduced staff incentives to use sustainable commuting options, including an electric vehicle leasing scheme and a cycle to work scheme.
Lauren Bate, a veterinary physiotherapist at NWVS, and green team member along with Jenny Pearson and Lauren Buckley, said: “It’s been a real team effort to improve from our Bronze to Silver level status in just over 12 months.
“Reaching this next level has given the team a real boost but we won’t rest on our laurels and will now focus our efforts on achieving the iiE Green Award, the highest level award it offers.”
NWVS is one of the UK’s leading specialist-led animal hospitals. It offers care in anaesthesia and analgesia, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on Northwest Veterinary Specialists, visit www.nwspecialists.com or search for Northwest Veterinary Specialists on social media.
