I have been asked to help the staff at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in London with some tips for pharmacists to be more environmentally friendly. As most of the material will be helpful to others apart from pharmacists, I list a brief summary below:

ENVIRONMENTAL TIPS FOR PHARMACISTS.

According to Sir David King, the Government’s Chief Scientist, global warming is the

greatest problem facing humanity. It is therefore incumbent upon all sections of society to reduce their carbon emissions as carbon dioxide is accepted as the main gas responsible. Pharmacists are specialists in a health science so they have a special responsibility to arrange their pharmacies to be environmentally friendly to ensure humankind and countless other species are saved from extinction. Time is not on our side so we should take immediate action. A “green” pharmacy can be a great marketing ploy to boost the reasons why patients patronise the business.

Pharmacists should be primarily good citizens not only in their pharmaceutical work but in their personal lifestyles as well. Below are some suggestions, which will help.

Business Emissions.

Heating your pharmacy uses 70% of the energy you use. So turn down your thermostat by 1 C and put on a jumper.

Insulate your premises. Lofts should be insulated to a depth of at least 270 mm preferably with sheep’s wool or cellulose fibre saving up to 20% from the energy bill. Also if possible, have cavity wall insulation and insulate the hot water tank with a British Standard lagging jacket.

Dust down the coils at the back of the fridge to save up to 30% of electricity. Defrost your fridge regularly. Avoid leaving fridge doors open. Each minute the door is open takes three minutes of energy to cool down again.

Use low energy fluorescent light bulbs. They will last up to 12 times longer than the old bulbs. Do not put compact fluorescent light bulbs into the general rubbish otherwise, mercury will be released if the bulb breaks.

Do not leave lights on after work or in unused rooms during the day or computer equipment on standby overnight. Switch off! Unplug chargers once appliances are charged up. Remove the plug from the mains to ensure the standby setting is disabled.

Cars - drive efficiently, share your car, and change to a diesel or a LPG car instead of petrol.

Hunt out bio fuels.

If you can cycle or use a motorbike even better. Use public transport whenever possible i.e. train or bus. Cut down on aviation use!

Instead of air conditioning in summer, open a window.

Ensure your pharmacy is using electricity from a renewable tariff from a green source.

Use recycled paper for photocopying and printing. Do not print out emails if possible.

If you do, print double-sided. Inkjet printing is better than laser printing.

Buy products made with recycled materials. Visits: http://recycledproducts.org.uk/

Food.

If you get a refreshment break, watch what you consume. Local produce preferably organic as recommended by The Soil Association is best. This cuts down on food miles. Also, buy Fairtrade wherever possible - coffee, tea, soft drinks, biscuits and hundreds of other products are available which will ensure a fair price for the producer to help feed and educate their families. Bank with ethical banks such as the Co-op and Triodos, which support Fairtrade.

Waste.

Reduce, reuse, recycle the paper, glass and cans to save energy and stop some of the deforestation-taking place with the help of your local Council. Recycling just one bottle saves enough to power a television set for 90 minutes. Remove caps, which contaminate useful glass before recycling. Ensure any product put into the recycling bin can be recycled. Use your kerbside recycling scheme. Ensure any old fridges are disposed off properly. When it is time to buy a new one, get a ‘Greenfreeze’ model. Try a Savaplug to reduce consumption by as much as 20%. Oppose any increase in incineration.

Reuse any plastic packaging and recycle it when it is no longer usable.

Save water by adding a water hippo to older toilet cisterns so saving 3 litres with every flush.

Reuse envelopes by crossing out the original address details or by using a stick over label.

Buy refilled ink cartridges.

General

Use biodegradable bags rather than plastic, which take generations to break down in landfills.

Use a mug or a glass for your drinks instead of disposable cups.

Real nappies are more environmentally friendly than disposables.

Recommend products, which do not have palm oil to save orang-utans and Sumatran tigers.

Clean without chlorine to save the ozone layer. So look for chlorine-free detergents, toilet cleaners, disinfectants and bleach.

Drip-dry your hands. Wash with cold water, which is perfectly adequate.

Keep chemical waste out of waterways. Dispose with the help of your environmental protection department.

Read online rather than hard copy where possible.

Invest in an ethical pension fund.

Pass old books on to students or others who will benefit from them.

Ensure you are fully informed on environmental topics e.g. climate change before expressing an opinion. Bring your colleagues onboard so each learns. Get your organisation to employ an Environment Officer and has an Environment Policy. MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE.