April 2026
In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education blog, Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT champions eco-friendly changes for veterinary professionals this Earth Day. She reveals powerful yet simple steps—from flipping the switch to renewable energy and sealing clinic leaks, to ditching paper towels (when possible) to embracing Meatless Mondays. With a blend of practical tips and heartfelt insights, Dr. Lee inspires the veterinary community to nurture ecosystems, reduce waste, and ignite a culture of sustainability—because caring for animals means caring for their world, too.

This Earth Day: Implementing Eco-Friendly Practices for Veterinary Medicine

By Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, Director of Medicine/CEO, VETgirl

OK, so this isn’t your typical VETgirl blog… but I’m about to get on my crunchy, granola, environmental soapbox, just in time for Earth Day this week on April 22, 2026. In full disclosure, I really didn’t become eco-friendly until I moved to Ithaca, NY (where I went to veterinary school at Cornell). In Ithaca, you have to pay for trash by the pound. That’s right. The more trash you produce, the more you have to pay to dispose of it. This makes one more eco-friendly right away and reduce, reuse, and recycle more! (Unfortunately, this likely wouldn’t work outside of this crunchy town, as people might be more likely to pollute and dump!).

To me, being eco-friendly is an important topic in veterinary medicine. As veterinary professionals, we understand that the health of all animals relates to their ecosystems. Hence, in my opinion, it is important for us as veterinary professionals to embrace eco-friendly, high-impact strategies to help meaningfully reduce energy use, waste, and emissions. So, in this VETgirl blog, here are the top 10 eco-friendly practices to implement right away.

1. Switch to Renewable Electricity (or Community Solar)

If you do one thing, do this. Electricity generation is one of the largest sources of global emissions, and switching your clinic or home to renewable energy is one of the highest-impact changes you can make. Whether it’s rooftop solar, a community solar program, a solar generator (especially if you live in a sunny place!), or simply opting into a green energy plan through your utility, this single decision can dramatically shrink your carbon footprint by 30-70%—often more than dozens of smaller changes combined. It’s not always the easiest switch depending on where you live, but when available, it’s one of the most powerful.

2. Insulate and Seal Your Veterinary Clinic or Home

Before you jump into solar panels, make sure your building isn’t leaking energy like crazy. Most clinics and homes lose heat and air conditioning through poorly insulated attics, crawl spaces, and drafty windows or doors. Improving insulation isn’t glamorous (no one brags about their attic), but it’s one of the most cost-effective and impactful things you can do. It reduces energy bills, improves comfort, and lowers emissions year-round—especially in extreme climates. One of the first things I did when I moved into our new house was blow in new attic insulation – not sexy, not visible, and doesn’t feel like a “home improvement,” but hello, Minnesota winters!

3. Use Reusable Towels (Yes, I Said It!)

OK, I know I’m going to get some pushback here. I want you to wash your filthy hands while you’re working in the veterinary clinic. But nothing annoys me more than when I see someone take 5 paper towels to dry their hands. You only need ONE paper towel, and if you’re not sure, you need to watch this TED talk on it (In case you don’t watch it, shake the water off your hands 12X, fold the paper towel and WIPE with ONE!)! This is a perfect example of a small habit, massive cumulative effect.

Many veterinary clinics go through thousands of paper towels per year just for hand drying and cleaning off exam tables. Instead, consider the following:

• Keep a stack of small cloth hand towels in the exam room or bathroom
• Use one per day
• Toss it in the wash at the end of the day

Now, obviously, we’re not going to do this with an infectious patient. Infection control matters—obviously. But in general, this approach has a big impact by drastically reducing paper waste, which helps save trees, water, and manufacturing energy… plus, it saves money at the same time while costing nothing.

In appropriate situations (non-infectious cases), consider using reusable cloth towels for hand drying or cleaning surfaces. Just one hand towel hung up in the bathroom per day, tossed in the wash at the end of the shift, can significantly reduce paper waste over time. Small habit, massive cumulative effect. And yes, we still keep paper towels for the gross stuff (cat vomit included… you’re welcome for the visual).

PS If you haven’t checked out the VETgirl podcast from last week on donning disposable gloves in the veterinary setting, check that out HERE too!

4. Meatless Monday

OK, in full disclosure, I’m an omnivore. And just once a week, my family tries to implement Meatless Mondays. Ultimately, do what works for you and your family. Just this small lifestyle change can help reduce your food footprint! More importantly, think of the global footprint associated with transportation of your food. Can you support a local farmer (or better yet, a veterinary farmer!) and buy meat sourced locally? Can you grow your own small garden? I have a 15X 6 foot garden and easily get 20-30 pounds of produce off it each week during our short Minnesota summer! I personally love to live off the land, from foraging my own mushrooms, growing my own herbs and vegetables and hopefully one day, growing my own fruit trees!

5. Buy Less, Buy Better, Buy Used

This is where things get real. The most sustainable product is the one you don’t buy. Period.
We live in a world of instant gratification—click, ship, done. But every item comes with a hidden environmental cost: manufacturing, packaging, and transportation. Instead, try shifting your mindset. Buy second-hand when possible. Repair instead of replace. Pause before hitting “add to cart.” (One simple way of reducing the environmental cost is to accumulate things in your cart, but only get it shipped once a month if it’s not urgent!) Do you actually need it? Can you get it locally? This one mindset shift alone reduces waste, emissions, and resource use across the board.

6. Upgrade to Energy-Efficient Equipment (When It’s Time)

Veterinary clinics use a LOT of equipment—from laundry machines to anesthesia units. When something breaks (and it will), resist the urge to just replace it with the same model. Energy-efficient appliances (Energy Start / A +++ rated) may cost more upfront but save money—and energy—over time. In a clinic that runs multiple loads of laundry daily, those savings add up quickly. Plus, fewer breakdowns mean fewer headaches… and fewer visits from the repair guy you know way too well.

7. Switch to LED Lighting

If your clinic is anything like most, the lights are always on…especially if you’re a 24/7 facility! That’s why switching to LED lighting is such an easy win. LEDs use ~85–90% less energy, last much longer, and generate less heat.

While this may seem like a small change, it becomes a big deal at scale—especially when larger veterinary groups and industry partners adopt it across multiple locations. Sometimes sustainability isn’t about one clinic—it’s about influencing the entire profession. The next time your local industry representative visits your clinic, voice to them the importance of sustainability… and making a request that you’re more likely to support them if their corporate office switches to LED!

8. Reduce Single-Use Plastics (Where It Actually Matters)

Do your part to reduce and reuse with this water bottle by registering for VETgirl U 2026 HERE!

Don’t stress about the occasional plastic straw. Instead, focus on where your clinic generates the most waste. Think about the everyday items: cleaning products, packaging, water bottles, and supply containers. Switching to refillable or concentrated products, using reusable containers, and being more intentional about ordering can significantly cut down on plastic waste. In veterinary medicine, we can’t eliminate single-use items entirely (hello, sterility), but we can absolutely be smarter about where we reduce.

9. Compost and Manage Waste More Intentionally

In full disclosure, my husband always makes fun of me when I bring home all the banana peels from the clinic. At our house, we have a garden compost for uncooked food, non-dairy or non-meat products. Kitchen waste that can’t go in the compost (due to tremorgenic mycotoxins) goes into a container under the kitchen sink and then is dumped into the 20-gallon container in the garage – I take this to the city “all food” scraps compost about twice a month.

Waste doesn’t just disappear when it leaves your clinic—it goes somewhere. And when food waste ends up in landfills, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. If composting is available in your area, it’s a great way to reduce your environmental footprint. Even if it’s not, being more mindful about recycling correctly (and avoiding “wish-cycling”) and choosing products with less packaging can make a difference. It’s less about being perfect and more about being intentional.

10. Engage Your Team (and Clients!) in Sustainability

Here’s the one we often forget: culture matters.

Sustainability doesn’t stick unless your whole team is on board. Talk about it at staff meetings. Encourage small changes. Celebrate wins—whether that’s reducing supply waste or switching vendors. Maybe it’s reducing your clinic’s garbage volume, thanks to more recycling. You can even engage clients by offering eco-friendly product options (Would you like an electronic copy of your discharge emailed to you, so we can save a tree?) or sharing simple tips. As veterinary professionals, we’re trusted voices. When we model sustainable practices, clients notice—and often follow. That ripple effect? That’s where real impact happens.

The Big Picture: It’s About Systems, Not Perfection

Here’s the thing most sustainability advice gets wrong: it focuses too much on small, individual actions and not enough on systems. The biggest impact doesn’t come from obsessing over every tiny choice. It comes from the bigger shifts—how your clinic uses energy, how much waste you generate, what you consume regularly, and whether you build habits around reuse instead of disposal. It comes from holding our corporate partners accountable on sustainability. Do the big things first. Then refine the smaller habits.

Sustainability isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being aware—and making better choices where you can. As veterinary professionals, we’re uniquely positioned at the intersection of animal, human, and environmental health. That “One Health” concept isn’t just theoretical—it’s something we live every day.

So this Earth Day, just get started and make it a priority.

Maybe it’s splurging on a nice water bottle so you can refill it instead of buying water bottles.

Maybe it’s buying at a farmer’s market this summer instead of at your local box supermarket.

Maybe it’s reducing paper printing in your hospital.

Let’s implement real change to help preserve the ecosystems of the animals we care for.

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