Sustainability in Veterinary Medicine

Presentation Description / Summary: Sustainability is first and foremost a mindset; an understanding of our individual and collective impact on Earth and a measure of our long-term viability. It requires recognizing that we all live together on this planet with finite resources, pollution intolerance, limited waste capacity, and that all peoples and living creatures have a right to thrive for many generations to come. The 3 pillars of sustainability, also known as the triple bottom line, are: the environment (planet), social/health (people), and the economy (profit) bound by the actions of responsibility, resilience, and regeneration. Society is facing multiple environmental crises impacting One Health with substantial threats to the health and welfare of people, animals, and the environment. These changes will have direct negative impacts on our ability to provide adequate care to our patients, clients, staff, and ourselves. Yet, a coherent response to these challenges has yet to be integrated into the veterinary profession. This presentation will focus the discussion on the veterinarian's role in responding to our environmental problems including: reducing the environmental impacts of healthcare; playing a recognized leadership role in society and educating ourselves, staff, and the general public; introducing practical adaptive and mitigative countermeasures to the environmental crises; and managing eco-anxiety and well-being in our profession.