We often compare working at VEG ER for Pets as hopping on a rocketship. We set the course, and we’re reaching the stars, and reinventing veterinary emergency care in unbelievable ways! This includes taking an earth-friendlier approach toward finding sustainable practices in veterinary care. After all, our mission is helping people and their pets when they need it most!

Sustainability applies to the work we do in our ERs, and outside too. All creatures deserve a cleaner, greener planet, so we’re doing our part to reduce our carbon pawprint, er, footprint.

VEG is doing our part in finding ways to be sustainable, such as using biodegradable gloves. Our hospitals are open 24/7, so that's a lot of cases, and a lot of gloves we go through!

How to be environmentally sustainable in vet med

We stood up our green initiative in 2022 with stakeholders from various areas in VEG, like our Procurement & Inventory, Design & Construction, and Marketing departments. Sustainability in vet med isn't easy, but we looked at our green initiative globally to allow for multiple perspectives and greater ideas.

Environmentally friendly hospital practices

Here are just a few successes from our VEG Green initiative:

1. Biodegradable gloves

   Gotta love these gloves. We've purchased over 14,000 boxes of biodegradable examination gloves. That’s 1.4 million gloves that will decompose in approximately 490 days.* Traditional nitrile gloves take 100-200 years to break down!

2. Wipe refills

   Containers are canceled. That's right, VEG is no longer buying disinfectant wipes in containers. Instead, we’re purchasing refill packs, which eliminates the use of thousands of plastic containers!

3. Biodegradable pill bottles

   We're putting a lid on plastic by piloting the use of biodegradable pill vials in some of our hospitals. These earth-friendlier pill bottles are made of 100% plant-based and biodegradable material—even the lids.

4. Rechargeable battery usage

   All of the ERs that we’ve built from the ground up have switched to rechargeable batteries to power battery-operated office and medical equipment. This reduces battery waste and saves money over time.

5. Recycled printer paper

   Using printer paper from 30% recycled materials has been a win-win for us and the environment.

Supporting organizations for a greener planet

What’s better than going green? Partnering up with like-minded organizations! We’ve implemented an in-kind donation program to support local nonprofits. As VEG adds more hospitals throughout the U.S. and in Canada, we’ve had a few relocations too. So, relocate and renew became our mantra! As we purchased equipment upgrades in the new locations—we were able to give older (but still perfectly operational!) equipment a new home!

VEG’s equipment donations help local non-profit wildlife organizations. It’s one more way we can help serve our communities. Here are a few organizations we've helped:

• Wild about helping - Our old Boynton Beach location has donated an ultrasound system to Florida Wildlife Hospital. This system can impact the health of the 5,000 injured wild animals they rescue each year.

• That’s so fly - Several pieces of equipment from VEG’s South Brooklyn relocation went to NYC’s Wild Bird Fund. This helped them outfit their second facility in Brooklyn with a full x-ray machine, exam lights, and an anesthesia machine. Now, it’s all available to help the 15,000+ injured and orphaned birds they rescue each year!

• X out chemicals - The use of x-ray film is damaging, as it’s processed with chemicals, which can be harmful to the earth and people. With relocations for two of our emergency animal hospitals, VEG in Clifton, NJ and VEG in Fort Worth, TX we were able to donate x-ray plates to International Bird Rescue's two California facilities. These systems reduced the time it takes for them to get X-rays from ~20 minutes to 5 seconds, and helped them ditch the film and go greener!

• Lighten up - Dual surgery lights from VEG’s South Brooklyn relocation went to SeaLifeR3. This organization is the Pacific Northwest's only dedicated marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation center!

Looking ahead: going greenER in vet med

All of these green initiatives are just a start. VEG Green has eyes on ways to:

1. Moving all exam gloves to biodegradable

2. Rolling out biodegradable pill bottles in all hospitals

3. Reduce carbon emissions

4. Install EV charging stations

5. Use biodegradable pet collars/cones

   
   

We’re always looking for new ideas to help us be cleaner and greener. It’s not always easy in vet med, but VEG is making big, bold strides for today and all of our tomorrows.

*Source: Natrle.com; Tested per ASTM 5526.