The North West London LDC (Local Dental Committee) is taking steps towards becoming environmentally sustainable by getting involved and helping to promote the Green Impact for Dentistry toolkit. This toolkit has been designed to help dental practices reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact.
So, why get involved with the Green Impact toolkit? Firstly, dental practices will have access to the latest research and receive guidance on how to manage changes to their practice to provide environmentally sustainable dental health care. This means that dental practices can play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions.
Furthermore, dental practices that engage with the Green Impact toolkit will be able to learn how to reduce their use of energy, water, and other resources, making financial savings in the process. They will also have the opportunity to demonstrate their social value activity to NHS commissioners and receive external recognition for making positive changes. This positive publicity can enhance the reputation of dental practices among policy-makers, patients, and the wider public.
To support dental practices in their green journey, the Green Impact toolkit provides access to an online toolkit application, nationally run workshops and webinars, and drop-in support calls. Dental practices will also be able to create communication materials to support their teams and attend virtual launch or award events. By getting involved with the Green Impact toolkit, dental practices can become part of a network of sustainability champions and receive certificates and award winner graphics.
The North West London LDC was involved in the successful pilot of the original Green Impact for Dentistry toolkit, which was running from 2019-2021. During this time, 60 dental teams registered and completed 674 positive actions to reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact. Renewed interest in the toolkit has led to Public Health Wales funding it for all Wales primary care.
Finally, the new and improved Green Impact for Dentistry toolkit is due to release this month, providing dental practices with the opportunity to become more environmentally sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. To find out more about the Green Impact for Dentistry toolkit or express interest in getting involved, visit https://greenimpact.nus.org.uk/Green-Impact-In-Dentistry/.
The toolkit is now live and ready for dental teams to register. You can register your practice here to start making an impact! Simply click register on the right-hand, enter your details, verify your email, and create a new team if you are the first person to register. Please note: a team should be a single site and each email address account can only access one team. You should include your town in your team name (e.g. Central Dental Practice, Cambridge). Then you are ready to explore the actions within the toolkit under the different areas and themes, and accrue points for the actions you complete. As many people as you like from your practice can register themselves to join your team, and support to complete the actions within the toolkit.
You’ll have until 31st October 2023 to complete as many actions as you can and submit the toolkit.
