Bex Cooper, Director, on Gaining Gold - and Going on for Green!

Winter’s short cold days prompt our bodies’ natural rhythms to conserve energy, making hibernation all the more tempting! If you need a boost for flagging energy levels, just take an example from nature. There is plenty going on, even in winter’s supposedly dormant season: gorgeous snowdrops, bulbs pushing up, even beech buds fully formed and ready to go.

Green Impact for Dentistry

A great energiser for the practice’s sustainability commitment was receiving a sought-after Green Impact for Dentistry Gold Award 2024, a fantastic programme challenging and supporting dental teams across the UK to improve their sustainability and social responsibility. Underpinned by the latest research and sustainability experts, it is delivered by the registered charity Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK), and…

We Won Gold!

Over 5,000 positive sustainability actions were completed by practices across the 2024 programme, with only 26 out of 313 participating practices awarded bronze upwards. With apologies for one tiny toot on our trumpet, I have to celebrate the incredible teamwork, enthusiasm, ideas, and effort put in by our wonderful Crossbank Dental Care team. Alongside our own stretching sustainability goals, we completed 123 actions from a list of 167 (some of which weren’t applicable to us). We were thrilled to learn we had been awarded one of just 6 Gold awards!

Planet First

Lifting out small but significant steps that anyone could try, we focused on reducing waste and single-use items. We took office admin recycling right down to turning non-confidential "scrap" paper into notebooks! We also looked outside, turning “overlooked” corners into green space, together with hedgehog homes, bird feeders, bug hotels, and a ‘Hotbin’ composter. And thanks to everyone who followed my non-glamorous summer pond-digging project, which is providing valuable winter sustenance and shelter for all sorts of visitors; I’m very excited to see what turns up in spring and summer.

Believe in the Change You Can Be

Of course we are thrilled at the award, especially after achieving Green Small Business certification in 2024, and forming our community and charity partnerships including “Implant a Tree” with Cumbria Wildlife Trust and “Bridge2Aid”, who train Health Workers in emergency dental care in developing nations. But mostly because it boosts our belief in the impact we are making, and drives us to go further!

Meaningful Green Action

I will be sharing updates of our continuing sustainability journey throughout 2025, but a sneak peek at our green to-do list includes focusing on making it easier for staff and patients to use public transport, cycling, walking, and alternative power to reach the clinic. It has been really fun working as a team across the administrative and clinical areas of the practice, as well as involving patients, and we are really looking forward to further expanding our community, schools, and charity relationships this year.

Brighter Days Ahead

It really is true that no one is too small to make a difference- any small changes add up to big impacts, and we are rooting for you, too. You can see we like a challenge, so if you have a suggestion or project we are all ears! And if you are able to pull on a coat and get out in the great outdoors, even for a few steps, you’ll find it a great way to beat the Winter blues. You could well find some green inspiration!