Seadown vets at Hythe have secured a well-deserved bronze award from ‘Investors in the Environment’, recognising their significant efforts to reduce waste, setting an example to other practices and businesses in the area, and helping to drive change across the entire veterinary industry.
The New Forest is a magical place of ancient woodland, open moors, beautiful glades and cliff top walks. It is still one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture and heathland in the UK where ponies, cattle, donkeys and deer roam free. It is also home to Seadown, a particularly unique, mixed veterinary practice that has served the New Forest community, it’s people and animals since 1923.
Excellent patient care and improving animal welfare are at the core of Seadown values, and this dedication and compassion extends to every living creature. As custodians of animal health, they believe they have a responsibility to play their part in safeguarding the natural world and enabling all life, and all creatures, to survive and thrive.
The world is currently facing a severe climate and environmental crisis, and Seadown recognises that they too need to take responsibility for the veterinary practice’s own environmental impact. Whilst Seadown had already been taking steps to reduce paper use and replace single-use, disposable hats and gowns with reusable ones, they joined a scheme set up by ‘Investors In The Environment’. They duly identified which of their own working processes had the greatest impact and identified six areas; Anaesthetic gases, Gas, Electricity, Water, Waste – production and disposal and Transport – both staff and clients. Seadown then made firm pledges and commitments to reduce waste and optimise efficiency and set up protocols and policies to measure quarterly progress and compliance with relevant legislation.
Their ambitious plans will mean Seadown will halve their carbon footprint by 2030 and achieve net zero before 2050!
Amy Jackson, the Seadown vet who has driven this great initiative and who will take overall ownership for Seadown’s sustainability policies, shares her delight with the award
“Having always had a passion to help animals, the suffering wild animals are going through as a result of climate change, troubles me greatly. I started to try to make small changes in my own life and then came across the veterinary sustainability movement, where I began reading about all the ways our industry could make changes to reduce our impact on the planet.
Many of these changes were simple to implement and it struck me how much could be done if we really started to focus on this area. It gives me great hope to think if everyone strives to make changes in their own worlds that together we can achieve what needs to be done to save millions of plants, animals and people in the years to come. We are so proud to have received the award for our hard work and it is testament to the team's care and dedication that it is applied to everything we do. We can't wait to get started on the silver award now!”
Kate McMorris, Seadown vet and Director, sums it up for the whole practice
“I would like to start by congratulating Amy who has been so instrumental in furthering Seadown’s sustainability plans and for all the time and trouble she has taken to secure this Bronze award. The Seadown Directors are so proud of Amy and all the whole Seadown team that have made this possible. We recognise that we can all make a difference and that it has never been so important for every individual and every business, to help secure the health of this planet for future generations. Rest assured we will however, not rest on our laurels and as Amy has already said, work will start soon to secure the next silver stage. We are committed to ensuring that Seadown continues to be a responsible, valuable and key part of this wonderful New Forest community for the next 100 years”