Green Champions at Ethos: Veterinary Teams Making a Difference
With Earth day coming up, we want to highlight some of our Ethos team members who go the extra mile in their daily lives to be eco-friendly! Meet our Green Champions:
Abbie
Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital (New York)
“We are always getting many supply deliveries, so Dr. Abbie Landis found a way to repurpose the cardboard boxes for her garden. The cardboard is flattened and is a great way to protect against weeds and get new beds ready for the upcoming season. Her garden is beautiful!”
Lauren
WVRC – Grafton (Wisconsin)
“Lauren always makes sure to take some time every April to give back to the planet! Lauren goes around her neighborhood to pick up garbage. She is very passionate about the environment and tries to contribute in many ways: litter pick up, growing her own vegetables, buying used instead of new, aluminum can collection/recycling, composting, reusable lunch bags, and a lot more! Think globally, Act locally!”
Jaden
Atlantic Street Pet Emergency Center (California)
“Jaden is vegan which helps cut down on greenhouse gas emissions produced by animal agriculture. She is also big into using reusable bags and water canisters, and only uses shampoo bars instead of bottles. Jaden also is eco-thinking in her purchases by buying biodegradable products like toothbrushes, paper products, and glass or metal bottles. Jaden’s ‘why’ for doing these things:since becoming vegan 4 years ago, she started learning more about animal welfare and animal cruelty. It fueled her to keep learning, and she decided to take an AP Environmental studies class. She learned how even the smallest change in our daily lives can make an impact on the earth. Going on adventures at the beach and in the mountains reminds her why it is so important to maintain the environment!”
Jaylene
Atlantic Street Pet Emergency Center (California)
“Jaylene has a non-plastic household and will happily give advice on non-plastic alternatives – just ask! She also travels with a water filter, reusable straw and utensils, and a reusable bag for those last-minute shopping trips. Taking things even further, Jaylene puts her watering can in the shower with her so she can catch run-off water that she can water her plants with. What an inspiration! Jaylene’s “why” for doing these things: Mother nature is our biggest mental and physical health provider, and we should do everything we can to protect her!”
Karen
Port City Veterinary Referral Hospital (New Hampshire)
“Dr. Karen Campbell is the first person that comes to many people’s minds when we think of someone dedicated to the environment. She drives an electric vehicle, feeds her pigs leftovers so they do not go to waste, has solar panels at home, and even installed a plastic bag receptacle at Port City for people to add their plastic bags into so she can recycle them! She participates in NH Sierra Club meetings twice a month, and is on their general and political committee to help encourage further environmental policy in NH. In addition, she is part of local and spring cleanup in her town. This upcoming week, Karen is actually going to be providing remote testimony to the EPA regarding their proposed new emission standard for heavy duty vehicles. The Sierra Club is asking for a more aggressive standard to help on the path to zero-emission trucks and buses. A stronger standard will benefit MANY communities, like diesel death zones, and eliminate more harmful emissions that are damaging the climate and public health (e.g. asthma attacks, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and other more serious conditions like reproductive harm, developmental harm, susceptibility to infection, and harm to the cardiovascular system)!
Karen also does a lot of inspiring work for animals and animal welfare off the clock as well! She is the NH state representative for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) that consists of volunteer veterinarians working hard to improve the lives of animals, throughout the country, through legislation and advocacy in their home state. Just like bees, Dr. Campbell keeps herself busy and she does her best to make a positive impact on our environment! She is one VERY impressive woman!”
Joelle
Boston West Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (Massachusetts)
“Joelle, CVT, is our Clinical Supervisor of Specialty and Surgery at Boston West. When she isn’t caring for her patients on the floor, monitoring them under anesthesia in the OR, or teaching technical skills to other technicians, she can be found buzzing around making the world a safer place!
She places a huge emphasis on recycling in our facility. She often reminds us of our responsibility to ensure we recycle our medical waste properly. Every little step we take to help reduce the amount of medical waste created by veterinary and human health care, makes a difference for the future of the world we live in. She even cuts down our straws after a Starbucks run, to make sure there are no sea turtle choking hazards being added to the environment!”