As equine vets, transport accounts for a large proportion of our carbon footprint. As we all become more cognisant of our environmental impact, our Sustainability Working Group look at ways in which we can travel more sustainably:
1. Drive more efficiently:
• Subtle changes like slowing down and accelerating smoothly can make a big difference to fuel consumption. There are companies which provide eco-driving courses and it is well worth investing in one of these at your practice.
• If your car allows, monitor your fuel efficiency and set a target to improve your average miles per gallon (mpg).
• Make sure your vehicle is well maintained – the RAC report that properly inflated tyres can improve fuel efficiency by up to 2%.
• Keep to the speed limit: according to the AA, driving at 80 mph uses up to 25% more fuel than driving at 70 mph.
• Remove unnecessary items from your car to avoid carrying excessive weight.
• Avoid excessive use of air conditioning – Remember to turn air conditioning off once the windows have cleared or the desired temperature has been achieved.
2. Plan your route intelligently:
• If your practice doesn’t already, consider making use of ‘area days’ to reduce the mileage between calls.
• Use smart route planners (such as provided by the website) to calculate the most efficient route with multiple visits.
• Consider installing vehicle trackers to help with efficiency of planning visits and response to emergency/urgent calls.
• Travel from home if possible and check ahead in the diary to avoid unnecessary trips to collect drugs/equipment.
• Get your admin team on board and make optimising travel a priority – not only will it reduce your carbon footprint, it also presents an opportunity to save valuable time during a busy day.
3. Share vehicles where possible
• Consider whether staff can travel together, especially when taking nurses/techs/students to calls.
• Consider lift-sharing for office-based staff. A recent survey by Mobilityways found that 92% of commuters have one or more colleagues living within one mile of them with whom they could share a lift to work.
4. Post (or collect) drugs and worm egg counts
• Avoid clients having to drive individually to the practice by offering to post drugs or accept poo samples by post.
• Alternatively, coordinate sample collection or drug delivery with routine yard visits
• When ordering drugs and supplies from wholesalers, aim to do this in as few orders as possible to reduce the number of van journeys required.
5. Make use of video conferencing and telemedicine
• Consider whether an animal requires a physical visit, or whether a telemedicine consult might suffice.
• Consider using teleconferencing for practice meetings and CPD sharing. A comparison between videoconferencing and in-person meetings1 suggested that videoconferencing takes at most 7% of the energy/carbon of an in-person meeting.
6. Promote active commuting for practice-based staff
• As well as reducing the practice’s overall carbon footprint, active commuting has been shown to have a number of health benefits, and studies have demonstrated a link between active commuting and lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease and diabetes2.
• Make use of the Cycle to Work scheme, and consider setting up a practice running or cycling club!
7. Prioritise efficiency when buying a new vehicle
• Choose the smallest, most efficient vehicle that will do the job. We all love a 4x4, but do we really need one?
8. Go electric
• Yes, this really is an option for equine vets. With the latest electric vehicles offering a range of up to 250-300 miles on a single charge, there’s no reason an EV won’t manage even the longest days in practice.
• If you’re still not convinced, try starting with a practice vehicle that isn’t used for on-call work such as a communal practice van.
• Alternatively, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good: consider a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Whilst they have their drawbacks, they represent a step in the right direction and play an important role in improving air quality in towns and cities.
As equine vets, transport represents a large part of our carbon footprint, and thus a huge opportunity to reduce our environmental impact. By planning routes more intelligently, driving more efficiently and making sustainability a priority, we can make a big difference.
1. Ong, D., Moors, T. & Sivaraman, V. Comparison of the energy, carbon and time costs of videoconferencing and in-person meetings. Computer Communications 50, 86–94 (2014).
2. Dinu, M., Pagliai, G., Macchi, C. & Sofi, F. Active Commuting and Multiple Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med 49, 437–452 (2019).