Double Green Awards win for Linnaeus

Linnaeus-owned Davies Veterinary Specialists (Davies), a small animal referral practice based in Hertfordshire, won Most Green Practice. Ellie West, who is sustainability lead for Linnaeus nationally and an RCVS and EBVS^® European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia at Davies, collected the Most Green Individual award.

The awards ceremony was part of the Virtual Congress 2022 veterinary conference organised by The Webinar Vet. A Sustainability Summit took place during the Congress on 19 January to showcase what industry leaders are doing to promote sustainability both personally and professionally. 

Both awards were shared with other winners. Davies was recognised alongside Old Hall Veterinary Centre in Cumbria while Ellie celebrated her award with Laura Higham, the founder of voluntary group Vet Sustain.

Ellie was recognised for her leadership in the veterinary sector by raising awareness of sustainability and encouraging others to make a difference. She focuses on three key areas within Linnaeus to reduce its environmental impact: climate change mitigation, waste management and responsible pharmaceutical stewardship. Ellie commented:

“Winning this award is a real honour, and I’m very grateful to be recognised by my peers in the veterinary community. We can only make a difference to the environment by working collaboratively, so I am lucky to have so many supportive colleagues at Davies and Linnaeus who also play their part in making this sector more sustainable.”

Davies was praised by the judges for freely sharing information about sustainability to help other practices improve their impact on the environment. The practice has a nominated environmental lead, Rachel Evans and engages with local and national organisations, with members of the team regularly addressing peers at veterinary events.

During the past 18 months Davies has delivered sustainability successes in a wide variety of areas including the use of anaesthetic gases, antibiotics, waste and recycling, resources, transport emissions and local environmental projects.

“We are so proud to have won this exciting new award, said Rachel. “We plan to put the prize money towards our tree planting venture with Forest Carbon. Sustainability awards not only help motivate and acknowledge achievements but also help with raising vital awareness; by sharing enthusiasm, ideas and practical tips across the veterinary profession we can make an even greater impact on sustainability to support our planet.”

Davies has an exemplary sustainability pedigree, holding Green Level accreditation from Investors in the Environment (iiE), which is the highest level awarded. The practice achieved a first for the veterinary profession back in 2020 by winning the iiE Sustainability Influencer Business of the Year. Last year Davies became the Natural Environment Champion at the 2021 iiE Awards. In the previous year Ellie was also recognised as Sustainability Influencer Individual of the Year 2020.

For more information about Linnaeus, please visit https://www.linnaeusgroup.co.uk/about-us/sustainability. To find out more about Davies’ sustainability initiatives please visit https://vetspecialists.co.uk/sustainability/.