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Climate
contributions

The only wellness plans designed to tackle our climate crisis

It is an uncomfortable truth that a lot of the everyday activities that we take for granted have an adverse effect on our environment, in particular climate change.

Even ownership of pet cats and dogs, for all the wonderful benefits they bring us, carries a pretty hefty carbon price-tag, mainly due to their diet, which is traditionally high in meat – global production of livestock is a key driver of climate change through deforestation and methane emissions.

Offsetting carbon emissions to claim carbon neutrality cannot be proven to be adequate or effective, and these terms have often been misused to disguise the absence of any genuine attempt to make the deep cuts in emissions that are needed to keep us below 1.5C of global warming.

That's why, as part of our pioneering wellness plans, we are not claiming to offset your pet's carbon footprint.

Instead, we will contribute to reaching global carbon neutrality by supporting emission reduction projects that meet the highest standard of delivery and verification, based on the estimated annual emissions of your pet. We're proud to say that we believe that we're the first veterinary practice in the UK to take this step.

These contributions are made via Ecologi – and you can see our progress live on the Ecologi website. While you are there, you can explore the kind of projects we are funding, from those actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere, to those enabling avoidance of otherwise inevitable emissions, as well as the planting of thousands of trees, both here in the UK and around the world.

However, the 1.5C limit can only be achieved if climate contributions are coupled with emission reductions. In the case of cats and dogs, by far the biggest impact is achieved by changing to an insect protein diet such as Yora – which is discounted on both plans.

By becoming a member of our plans, you are not only ensuring the best care for your pet but also making a choice to help protect our environment, taking a significant step towards sustainable pet ownership and a healthier planet for future generations.

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Environmental responsibility is built in to everything we do

Minimising emissions is vital, with climate contributions used to mitigate those that are unavoidable.

So, from day one, making our broken-down, long vacant premises into the most energy efficient veterinary practice possible was top of the list for the renovation.

All our windows are double and triple glazed. The roof and the inside of all external walls are insulated, in addition to cavity wall insulation. Mechanical, ducted ventilation lets us breath fresh air, and we use a heat exchanger to avoid losing heat in the winter or getting too hot in the summer. Unfortunately the slightly odd 1970s 'seagull wing' roof isn't suitable for PV panels but we are supplied by a 100% renewable energy supplier, who uses profits to build new clean energy generation.

How about our people? Not everyone lives close enough to cycle to work and so climate contributions are made every month to more than match our travel emissions, using the Ecologi Climate Action Workforce scheme. You can click on the badge opposite to have a look at our 'forest'.

We even have incentives to choose coaches and trains instead of flights when going on holiday!