How green is your practice?

The environmental agenda may not be as embedded in the nation's psyche as it was a decade ago, but there are still plenty of simple ways that you can cut down on the amount of paper, energy and water you use. What's more the Government actively encourages small and medium-sized businesses to invest in environmentally-friendly technologies with interest-free loans.
You don't have to clad the exterior walls of the practice with solar panels to make a difference. Optometrist Jem Hayward of Walford & Round set up the group's Gloucestershire practice from scratch. Like many practitioners nowadays, his test chart is computerised. But Hayward went even further in the technology stakes in a quest to run a paperless practice, with an integrated computer system for patient records, ordering, stock control, price lists and job tracking.
'We communicate with patients by email, text messaging or phone. All inter-practice communication and order transmission is by email. The system prints onto NHS forms, and produces prescriptions and reminders.'
The practice in Moreton-in-Marsh has a slick, modern appearance inside, to match its high-tech approach. 'We designed and implemented the computer system in-house, and it is constantly evolving,' says Hayward, adding that there are lots of benefits to the paper-free system. Less storage space is needed for records, cards don't go missing any more and, obviously, the stationery bill is reduced. Indeed, one disadvantage is a lack of paper scraps to add up on.
'The rest of the world cannot cope,' with the practice's paper-free policy according to Hayward, adding that they still have to write referral letters on paper. Then there's all the paper and card used in the promotional material the practice receives from manufacturers.
'I've always wondered why the practice receives, unasked, so much unwanted and unsuitable display material,' says optometrist David Burns. 'So many handouts I wouldn't distribute and showcards that go straight in the bin. Some products come with an embarrassing surfeit of packaging.'
Bob Halsey, optometrist at Halsey & Parkinson Opticians in Wellingborough, Northants, agrees: 'We reuse envelopes, boxes and Jiffy bags etc, but there is always a surplus. I have asked suppliers if we can return empty packaging for their reuse but they're not interested.'

Reduce and recycle
More than 3.5 billion items of direct mail are sent every year in the UK. A forest the size of Wales is cut down each year to supply the paper to feed this junk mail habit, so a good proportion of these trees end up in your bin. To prevent this waste simply contact the Mailing Preference Service, which can stop 95 per cent of the junk mail you currently receive.
You can often safely reduce the amount of water released by each flush of the toilet. A product like Ecoflush regulates the amount of water used in each flush. Costing about £19, you can install it yourself. A toilet hippo will cut the volume of water flushed down the loo by a third Ð it's especially useful in toilets installed before 1993, which have a larger cistern. Some water companies supply hippos free of charge.
Although the recycling process uses energy and water, it usually isn't as much as making a product from scratch. In the UK we recycle about 25 per cent of the paper we use. If we recycled 60 per cent, eight million fewer trees would be cut down each year.

contact lenses
Many of the green issues that affect opticians are also relevant to other small businesses. However, some are quite specific: Morgan, Morgan and Efron recently evaluated the environmental impact of three modalities of contact lens wear, and 'disposable' lenses aren't as bad for the environment as you might think.1
They calculated the amounts of plastic, paper, metal and glass generated by daily and monthly disposable lenses, and by a 'conventional' system comprised of a single pair of 'non-replacement' lenses (Zero 6, CooperVision). The conventional lenses were accompanied by a two-step peroxide-based care system, a surfactant cleaner, saline, enzyme tablets, and four lens cases. The 'planned replacement' system comprised of 12 pairs of monthly-replacement lenses (SofLens66, Bausch & Lomb), a multi-purpose solution and 12 lens cases. The 'daily disposable' system comprised of 360 pairs of 1-Day Acuvue lenses.
The amount of liquid generated by each system was discounted due to minimal environmental impact, relative to the glass, metal and plastic.
Monthly planned replacement lenses had the least impact Ð daily disposable lenses had twice the impact of monthlies, and lenses replaced on an annual basis, four times the impact.
The authors put this in context, comparing monthly planned replacement lenses' environmental impact to that of 15 drink cans, or 0.5 per cent of the total environmental impact of an individual in the UK. Waste generated during manufacture and distribution was not covered in this study, but environmentally friendly opticians can go on encouraging their patients to move to planned replacement lenses with a clear conscience.

Energy saving
Many practices Ð particularly those belonging to large groups or with high-energy consumption, will have noticed higher fuel bills over the last couple of years. Since April 2001, all commercial users of electricity and gas have been liable for the Climate Change Levy, a tax on energy consumption. The levy is charged at a flat rate on each kWh of energy consumed, so the impact will differ according to the level of energy consumption and the percentage of costs that consumption represents. Electricity is charged at 0.43p/kWh, and gas at 0.15p/kWh. Smaller companies can escape the charge altogether Ð if they consume less than 35kWh per day electricity and 45kWh per day mains gas.
There are ways round the tax for bigger companies too. You could opt to invest in 'green' electricity to reduce the impact of the Climate Change Levy. Since the overall objective of the levy is to reduce carbon emissions by taxing the end users that create them, it does not apply to sources of energy that do not produce emissions. Such sources of electricity are exempt from the levy. This means a saving of between 7 per cent and 15 per cent for most businesses.
Sources of green energy can most easily be divided into as follows. Deep green technology relies on truly renewable resources and comprises: wind small hydro, solar, and wave energy. Pale green technologies rely on combustion but they are at least carbon neutral and in many cases significantly reduce emissions. These include generating energy from the combustion of landfill, waste, sewage and biomass. These sources provide a relatively cheap and consistent source of power and, as such, make a valuable contribution to the environment.
Most of the major utilities now offer a 'green' tariff and many are the same price as standard electricity. Companies such as Ecotricity, Unit[e] and Green Energy UK invest in building renewable energy projects so that they actively cut the amount of fossil fuels burned and reduce global warming. Finally, if you are thinking of having a practice redesign, ask the designer if they can incorporate energy-saving features.
Low-energy light bulbs can make big savings. If you replace one conventional 100W lightbulb with an energy-saving one you can save up to £10 a year in energy costs. They cost £5-15, but should last up to eight times as long (check that the bulb states it will last for at least 8,000 hours). Across a whole practice or group, savings could be substantial. Energy-saving bulbs are ideal in areas where you have a light on for a long time. The bulbs come in all shapes and sizes, including fluorescent tubes and tungsten halogen bulbs that are ideal for spotlighting.
Last month the Carbon Trust launched a major new campaign, Action Energy, to raise awareness of energy efficiency. There are all kinds of money-saving schemes available for small businesses, including 0 per cent fixed interest loans of £5,000 to £50,000 to fund the purchase of equipment such as insulation, energy efficient lighting or boilers.

Reference
1 Morgan SL, Morgan PB, Efron N. Environmental impact of three replacement modalities of soft contact lens wear. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2003; 26: 43-46.

Antonia Chitty is a qualified optometrist and a freelance journalistThe environmental agenda may not be as embedded in the nation's psyche as it was a decade ago, but there are still plenty of simple ways that you can cut down on the amount of paper, energy and water you use. What's more the Government actively encourages small and medium-sized businesses to invest in environmentally-friendly technologies with interest-free loans.
You don't have to clad the exterior walls of the practice with solar panels to make a difference. Optometrist Jem Hayward of Walford & Round set up the group's Gloucestershire practice from scratch. Like many practitioners nowadays, his test chart is computerised. But Hayward went even further in the technology stakes in a quest to run a paperless practice, with an integrated computer system for patient records, ordering, stock control, price lists and job tracking.
'We communicate with patients by email, text messaging or phone. All inter-practice communication and order transmission is by email. The system prints onto NHS forms, and produces prescriptions and reminders.'
The practice in Moreton-in-Marsh has a slick, modern appearance inside, to match its high-tech approach. 'We designed and implemented the computer system in-house, and it is constantly evolving,' says Hayward, adding that there are lots of benefits to the paper-free system. Less storage space is needed for records, cards don't go missing any more and, obviously, the stationery bill is reduced. Indeed, one disadvantage is a lack of paper scraps to add up on.
'The rest of the world cannot cope,' with the practice's paper-free policy according to Hayward, adding that they still have to write referral letters on paper. Then there's all the paper and card used in the promotional material the practice receives from manufacturers.
'I've always wondered why the practice receives, unasked, so much unwanted and unsuitable display material,' says optometrist David Burns. 'So many handouts I wouldn't distribute and showcards that go straight in the bin. Some products come with an embarrassing surfeit of packaging.'
Bob Halsey, optometrist at Halsey & Parkinson Opticians in Wellingborough, Northants, agrees: 'We reuse envelopes, boxes and Jiffy bags etc, but there is always a surplus. I have asked suppliers if we can return empty packaging for their reuse but they're not interested.'

Reduce and recycle
More than 3.5 billion items of direct mail are sent every year in the UK. A forest the size of Wales is cut down each year to supply the paper to feed this junk mail habit, so a good proportion of these trees end up in your bin. To prevent this waste simply contact the Mailing Preference Service, which can stop 95 per cent of the junk mail you currently receive.
You can often safely reduce the amount of water released by each flush of the toilet. A product like Ecoflush regulates the amount of water used in each flush. Costing about £19, you can install it yourself. A toilet hippo will cut the volume of water flushed down the loo by a third Ð it's especially useful in toilets installed before 1993, which have a larger cistern. Some water companies supply hippos free of charge.
Although the recycling process uses energy and water, it usually isn't as much as making a product from scratch. In the UK we recycle about 25 per cent of the paper we use. If we recycled 60 per cent, eight million fewer trees would be cut down each year.

contact lenses
Many of the green issues that affect opticians are also relevant to other small businesses. However, some are quite specific: Morgan, Morgan and Efron recently evaluated the environmental impact of three modalities of contact lens wear, and 'disposable' lenses aren't as bad for the environment as you might think.1
They calculated the amounts of plastic, paper, metal and glass generated by daily and monthly disposable lenses, and by a 'conventional' system comprised of a single pair of 'non-replacement' lenses (Zero 6, CooperVision). The conventional lenses were accompanied by a two-step peroxide-based care system, a surfactant cleaner, saline, enzyme tablets, and four lens cases. The 'planned replacement' system comprised of 12 pairs of monthly-replacement lenses (SofLens66, Bausch & Lomb), a multi-purpose solution and 12 lens cases. The 'daily disposable' system comprised of 360 pairs of 1-Day Acuvue lenses.
The amount of liquid generated by each system was discounted due to minimal environmental impact, relative to the glass, metal and plastic.
Monthly planned replacement lenses had the least impact Ð daily disposable lenses had twice the impact of monthlies, and lenses replaced on an annual basis, four times the impact.
The authors put this in context, comparing monthly planned replacement lenses' environmental impact to that of 15 drink cans, or 0.5 per cent of the total environmental impact of an individual in the UK. Waste generated during manufacture and distribution was not covered in this study, but environmentally friendly opticians can go on encouraging their patients to move to planned replacement lenses with a clear conscience.

Energy saving
Many practices Ð particularly those belonging to large groups or with high-energy consumption, will have noticed higher fuel bills over the last couple of years. Since April 2001, all commercial users of electricity and gas have been liable for the Climate Change Levy, a tax on energy consumption. The levy is charged at a flat rate on each kWh of energy consumed, so the impact will differ according to the level of energy consumption and the percentage of costs that consumption represents. Electricity is charged at 0.43p/kWh, and gas at 0.15p/kWh. Smaller companies can escape the charge altogether Ð if they consume less than 35kWh per day electricity and 45kWh per day mains gas.
There are ways round the tax for bigger companies too. You could opt to invest in 'green' electricity to reduce the impact of the Climate Change Levy. Since the overall objective of the levy is to reduce carbon emissions by taxing the end users that create them, it does not apply to sources of energy that do not produce emissions. Such sources of electricity are exempt from the levy. This means a saving of between 7 per cent and 15 per cent for most businesses.
Sources of green energy can most easily be divided into as follows. Deep green technology relies on truly renewable resources and comprises: wind small hydro, solar, and wave energy. Pale green technologies rely on combustion but they are at least carbon neutral and in many cases significantly reduce emissions. These include generating energy from the combustion of landfill, waste, sewage and biomass. These sources provide a relatively cheap and consistent source of power and, as such, make a valuable contribution to the environment.
Most of the major utilities now offer a 'green' tariff and many are the same price as standard electricity. Companies such as Ecotricity, Unit[e] and Green Energy UK invest in building renewable energy projects so that they actively cut the amount of fossil fuels burned and reduce global warming. Finally, if you are thinking of having a practice redesign, ask the designer if they can incorporate energy-saving features.
Low-energy light bulbs can make big savings. If you replace one conventional 100W lightbulb with an energy-saving one you can save up to £10 a year in energy costs. They cost £5-15, but should last up to eight times as long (check that the bulb states it will last for at least 8,000 hours). Across a whole practice or group, savings could be substantial. Energy-saving bulbs are ideal in areas where you have a light on for a long time. The bulbs come in all shapes and sizes, including fluorescent tubes and tungsten halogen bulbs that are ideal for spotlighting.
Last month the Carbon Trust launched a major new campaign, Action Energy, to raise awareness of energy efficiency. There are all kinds of money-saving schemes available for small businesses, including 0 per cent fixed interest loans of £5,000 to £50,000 to fund the purchase of equipment such as insulation, energy efficient lighting or boilers.

Reference
1 Morgan SL, Morgan PB, Efron N. Environmental impact of three replacement modalities of soft contact lens wear. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2003; 26: 43-46.

Antonia Chitty is a qualified optometrist and a freelance journalistThe environmental agenda may not be as embedded in the nation's psyche as it was a decade ago, but there are still plenty of simple ways that you can cut down on the amount of paper, energy and water you use. What's more the Government actively encourages small and medium-sized businesses to invest in environmentally-friendly technologies with interest-free loans.
You don't have to clad the exterior walls of the practice with solar panels to make a difference. Optometrist Jem Hayward of Walford & Round set up the group's Gloucestershire practice from scratch. Like many practitioners nowadays, his test chart is computerised. But Hayward went even further in the technology stakes in a quest to run a paperless practice, with an integrated computer system for patient records, ordering, stock control, price lists and job tracking.
'We communicate with patients by email, text messaging or phone. All inter-practice communication and order transmission is by email. The system prints onto NHS forms, and produces prescriptions and reminders.'
The practice in Moreton-in-Marsh has a slick, modern appearance inside, to match its high-tech approach. 'We designed and implemented the computer system in-house, and it is constantly evolving,' says Hayward, adding that there are lots of benefits to the paper-free system. Less storage space is needed for records, cards don't go missing any more and, obviously, the stationery bill is reduced. Indeed, one disadvantage is a lack of paper scraps to add up on.
'The rest of the world cannot cope,' with the practice's paper-free policy according to Hayward, adding that they still have to write referral letters on paper. Then there's all the paper and card used in the promotional material the practice receives from manufacturers.
'I've always wondered why the practice receives, unasked, so much unwanted and unsuitable display material,' says optometrist David Burns. 'So many handouts I wouldn't distribute and showcards that go straight in the bin. Some products come with an embarrassing surfeit of packaging.'
Bob Halsey, optometrist at Halsey & Parkinson Opticians in Wellingborough, Northants, agrees: 'We reuse envelopes, boxes and Jiffy bags etc, but there is always a surplus. I have asked suppliers if we can return empty packaging for their reuse but they're not interested.'

Reduce and recycle
More than 3.5 billion items of direct mail are sent every year in the UK. A forest the size of Wales is cut down each year to supply the paper to feed this junk mail habit, so a good proportion of these trees end up in your bin. To prevent this waste simply contact the Mailing Preference Service, which can stop 95 per cent of the junk mail you currently receive.
You can often safely reduce the amount of water released by each flush of the toilet. A product like Ecoflush regulates the amount of water used in each flush. Costing about £19, you can install it yourself. A toilet hippo will cut the volume of water flushed down the loo by a third Ð it's especially useful in toilets installed before 1993, which have a larger cistern. Some water companies supply hippos free of charge.
Although the recycling process uses energy and water, it usually isn't as much as making a product from scratch. In the UK we recycle about 25 per cent of the paper we use. If we recycled 60 per cent, eight million fewer trees would be cut down each year.

contact lenses
Many of the green issues that affect opticians are also relevant to other small businesses. However, some are quite specific: Morgan, Morgan and Efron recently evaluated the environmental impact of three modalities of contact lens wear, and 'disposable' lenses aren't as bad for the environment as you might think.1
They calculated the amounts of plastic, paper, metal and glass generated by daily and monthly disposable lenses, and by a 'conventional' system comprised of a single pair of 'non-replacement' lenses (Zero 6, CooperVision). The conventional lenses were accompanied by a two-step peroxide-based care system, a surfactant cleaner, saline, enzyme tablets, and four lens cases. The 'planned replacement' system comprised of 12 pairs of monthly-replacement lenses (SofLens66, Bausch & Lomb), a multi-purpose solution and 12 lens cases. The 'daily disposable' system comprised of 360 pairs of 1-Day Acuvue lenses.
The amount of liquid generated by each system was discounted due to minimal environmental impact, relative to the glass, metal and plastic.
Monthly planned replacement lenses had the least impact Ð daily disposable lenses had twice the impact of monthlies, and lenses replaced on an annual basis, four times the impact.
The authors put this in context, comparing monthly planned replacement lenses' environmental impact to that of 15 drink cans, or 0.5 per cent of the total environmental impact of an individual in the UK. Waste generated during manufacture and distribution was not covered in this study, but environmentally friendly opticians can go on encouraging their patients to move to planned replacement lenses with a clear conscience.

Energy saving
Many practices Ð particularly those belonging to large groups or with high-energy consumption, will have noticed higher fuel bills over the last couple of years. Since April 2001, all commercial users of electricity and gas have been liable for the Climate Change Levy, a tax on energy consumption. The levy is charged at a flat rate on each kWh of energy consumed, so the impact will differ according to the level of energy consumption and the percentage of costs that consumption represents. Electricity is charged at 0.43p/kWh, and gas at 0.15p/kWh. Smaller companies can escape the charge altogether Ð if they consume less than 35kWh per day electricity and 45kWh per day mains gas.
There are ways round the tax for bigger companies too. You could opt to invest in 'green' electricity to reduce the impact of the Climate Change Levy. Since the overall objective of the levy is to reduce carbon emissions by taxing the end users that create them, it does not apply to sources of energy that do not produce emissions. Such sources of electricity are exempt from the levy. This means a saving of between 7 per cent and 15 per cent for most businesses.
Sources of green energy can most easily be divided into as follows. Deep green technology relies on truly renewable resources and comprises: wind small hydro, solar, and wave energy. Pale green technologies rely on combustion but they are at least carbon neutral and in many cases significantly reduce emissions. These include generating energy from the combustion of landfill, waste, sewage and biomass. These sources provide a relatively cheap and consistent source of power and, as such, make a valuable contribution to the environment.
Most of the major utilities now offer a 'green' tariff and many are the same price as standard electricity. Companies such as Ecotricity, Unit[e] and Green Energy UK invest in building renewable energy projects so that they actively cut the amount of fossil fuels burned and reduce global warming. Finally, if you are thinking of having a practice redesign, ask the designer if they can incorporate energy-saving features.
Low-energy light bulbs can make big savings. If you replace one conventional 100W lightbulb with an energy-saving one you can save up to £10 a year in energy costs. They cost £5-15, but should last up to eight times as long (check that the bulb states it will last for at least 8,000 hours). Across a whole practice or group, savings could be substantial. Energy-saving bulbs are ideal in areas where you have a light on for a long time. The bulbs come in all shapes and sizes, including fluorescent tubes and tungsten halogen bulbs that are ideal for spotlighting.
Last month the Carbon Trust launched a major new campaign, Action Energy, to raise awareness of energy efficiency. There are all kinds of money-saving schemes available for small businesses, including 0 per cent fixed interest loans of £5,000 to £50,000 to fund the purchase of equipment such as insulation, energy efficient lighting or boilers.

Reference
1 Morgan SL, Morgan PB, Efron N. Environmental impact of three replacement modalities of soft contact lens wear. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2003; 26: 43-46.

Antonia Chitty is a qualified optometrist and a freelance journalistThe environmental agenda may not be as embedded in the nation's psyche as it was a decade ago, but there are still plenty of simple ways that you can cut down on the amount of paper, energy and water you use. What's more the Government actively encourages small and medium-sized businesses to invest in environmentally-friendly technologies with interest-free loans.
You don't have to clad the exterior walls of the practice with solar panels to make a difference. Optometrist Jem Hayward of Walford & Round set up the group's Gloucestershire practice from scratch. Like many practitioners nowadays, his test chart is computerised. But Hayward went even further in the technology stakes in a quest to run a paperless practice, with an integrated computer system for patient records, ordering, stock control, price lists and job tracking.
'We communicate with patients by email, text messaging or phone. All inter-practice communication and order transmission is by email. The system prints onto NHS forms, and produces prescriptions and reminders.'
The practice in Moreton-in-Marsh has a slick, modern appearance inside, to match its high-tech approach. 'We designed and implemented the computer system in-house, and it is constantly evolving,' says Hayward, adding that there are lots of benefits to the paper-free system. Less storage space is needed for records, cards don't go missing any more and, obviously, the stationery bill is reduced. Indeed, one disadvantage is a lack of paper scraps to add up on.
'The rest of the world cannot cope,' with the practice's paper-free policy according to Hayward, adding that they still have to write referral letters on paper. Then there's all the paper and card used in the promotional material the practice receives from manufacturers.
'I've always wondered why the practice receives, unasked, so much unwanted and unsuitable display material,' says optometrist David Burns. 'So many handouts I wouldn't distribute and showcards that go straight in the bin. Some products come with an embarrassing surfeit of packaging.'
Bob Halsey, optometrist at Halsey & Parkinson Opticians in Wellingborough, Northants, agrees: 'We reuse envelopes, boxes and Jiffy bags etc, but there is always a surplus. I have asked suppliers if we can return empty packaging for their reuse but they're not interested.'

Reduce and recycle
More than 3.5 billion items of direct mail are sent every year in the UK. A forest the size of Wales is cut down each year to supply the paper to feed this junk mail habit, so a good proportion of these trees end up in your bin. To prevent this waste simply contact the Mailing Preference Service, which can stop 95 per cent of the junk mail you currently receive.
You can often safely reduce the amount of water released by each flush of the toilet. A product like Ecoflush regulates the amount of water used in each flush. Costing about £19, you can install it yourself. A toilet hippo will cut the volume of water flushed down the loo by a third Ð it's especially useful in toilets installed before 1993, which have a larger cistern. Some water companies supply hippos free of charge.
Although the recycling process uses energy and water, it usually isn't as much as making a product from scratch. In the UK we recycle about 25 per cent of the paper we use. If we recycled 60 per cent, eight million fewer trees would be cut down each year.

contact lenses
Many of the green issues that affect opticians are also relevant to other small businesses. However, some are quite specific: Morgan, Morgan and Efron recently evaluated the environmental impact of three modalities of contact lens wear, and 'disposable' lenses aren't as bad for the environment as you might think.1
They calculated the amounts of plastic, paper, metal and glass generated by daily and monthly disposable lenses, and by a 'conventional' system comprised of a single pair of 'non-replacement' lenses (Zero 6, CooperVision). The conventional lenses were accompanied by a two-step peroxide-based care system, a surfactant cleaner, saline, enzyme tablets, and four lens cases. The 'planned replacement' system comprised of 12 pairs of monthly-replacement lenses (SofLens66, Bausch & Lomb), a multi-purpose solution and 12 lens cases. The 'daily disposable' system comprised of 360 pairs of 1-Day Acuvue lenses.
The amount of liquid generated by each system was discounted due to minimal environmental impact, relative to the glass, metal and plastic.
Monthly planned replacement lenses had the least impact Ð daily disposable lenses had twice the impact of monthlies, and lenses replaced on an annual basis, four times the impact.
The authors put this in context, comparing monthly planned replacement lenses' environmental impact to that of 15 drink cans, or 0.5 per cent of the total environmental impact of an individual in the UK. Waste generated during manufacture and distribution was not covered in this study, but environmentally friendly opticians can go on encouraging their patients to move to planned replacement lenses with a clear conscience.

Energy saving
Many practices Ð particularly those belonging to large groups or with high-energy consumption, will have noticed higher fuel bills over the last couple of years. Since April 2001, all commercial users of electricity and gas have been liable for the Climate Change Levy, a tax on energy consumption. The levy is charged at a flat rate on each kWh of energy consumed, so the impact will differ according to the level of energy consumption and the percentage of costs that consumption represents. Electricity is charged at 0.43p/kWh, and gas at 0.15p/kWh. Smaller companies can escape the charge altogether Ð if they consume less than 35kWh per day electricity and 45kWh per day mains gas.
There are ways round the tax for bigger companies too. You could opt to invest in 'green' electricity to reduce the impact of the Climate Change Levy. Since the overall objective of the levy is to reduce carbon emissions by taxing the end users that create them, it does not apply to sources of energy that do not produce emissions. Such sources of electricity are exempt from the levy. This means a saving of between 7 per cent and 15 per cent for most businesses.
Sources of green energy can most easily be divided into as follows. Deep green technology relies on truly renewable resources and comprises: wind small hydro, solar, and wave energy. Pale green technologies rely on combustion but they are at least carbon neutral and in many cases significantly reduce emissions. These include generating energy from the combustion of landfill, waste, sewage and biomass. These sources provide a relatively cheap and consistent source of power and, as such, make a valuable contribution to the environment.
Most of the major utilities now offer a 'green' tariff and many are the same price as standard electricity. Companies such as Ecotricity, Unit[e] and Green Energy UK invest in building renewable energy projects so that they actively cut the amount of fossil fuels burned and reduce global warming. Finally, if you are thinking of having a practice redesign, ask the designer if they can incorporate energy-saving features.
Low-energy light bulbs can make big savings. If you replace one conventional 100W lightbulb with an energy-saving one you can save up to £10 a year in energy costs. They cost £5-15, but should last up to eight times as long (check that the bulb states it will last for at least 8,000 hours). Across a whole practice or group, savings could be substantial. Energy-saving bulbs are ideal in areas where you have a light on for a long time. The bulbs come in all shapes and sizes, including fluorescent tubes and tungsten halogen bulbs that are ideal for spotlighting.
Last month the Carbon Trust launched a major new campaign, Action Energy, to raise awareness of energy efficiency. There are all kinds of money-saving schemes available for small businesses, including 0 per cent fixed interest loans of £5,000 to £50,000 to fund the purchase of equipment such as insulation, energy efficient lighting or boilers.

Reference
1 Morgan SL, Morgan PB, Efron N. Environmental impact of three replacement modalities of soft contact lens wear. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2003; 26: 43-46.

Antonia Chitty is a qualified optometrist and a freelance journalist