Nature, Connection and Collaboration; The Power of our Working Groups
This month saw Vet Sustain bring their working group members together for their second collaborative working group workshop. Kindly hosted by Nottingham Vet School, members of the Curriculum, Greener Veterinary Practice, Food and Farming, and Equine working groups came together along with Vet Sustain Directors to share their ideas and connect on key sustainability issues facing the veterinary profession.
Vet Sustain
Ed Bailey, Chair of Vet Sustain said:
'Our working groups sit at the heart of Vet Sustain. We have so many incredible people volunteering their time and expertise to support us in our goal of improving the health and welfare of animals, people and planet. But with so much of our work carried out online, we rarely get an opportunity to meet other working group members in person. We hold these workshops annually to bring everyone together, encourage creativity, share ideas and build connections and a sense of community’.
During the course of the day working group members heard from Dr Matt Sawyer, GP, founder of SEE Sustainability, and co-author of the book ‘Environmentally Sustainable Primary Care’. Dr Sawyer has been integral to de-carbonising the NHS producing roadmaps and action plans to meet the NHS net zero ambition. His talk showcased many similarities between our two professions and sparked discussion in how lessons learned can be applied to the veterinary profession as we strive for a more sustainable future.
The afternoon agenda focused on wellbeing, where working group members were invited to take part in a nature connection exercise. Shown to have a positive impact on wellbeing, we encouraged participants to spend 30 minutes listening to, looking at, drawing, photographing and noticing the nature of the Nottingham Vet School Sutton Bonnington campus. When asked what they noticed or felt during the exercise, participants shared feelings of peace and calm, noticing great beauty in the often overlooked nature around us.
The end of the day focused on ‘celebrating successes’ of our people and working groups, reflecting on the dedication, knowledge and expertise that they bring to the Vet Sustain community. It was a great reminder of the importance of our Vet Sustain Network and we look forward to seeing our working groups continue to thrive and lead the way in advocating for a more sustainable veterinary profession.
