21 Feb Visit your dentist, it’s good for the planet!
As a kid growing up in the ’70’s and early ’80’s, and at the time with perhaps just a passing appreciation of what was happening in the World, the idea of ‘saving the planet’ was all a bit niche. I remember having a history teacher around the same time and his desk was fashioned with stickers that made it clear that he was all about ’saving the whale’ and ‘home recording is killing music’. He wore the stereotype corduroy jacket with elbow patches and I expect brewed his own cider or something at the weekends.
He was memorable to me because although I may not have followed him to a Greenpeace march at the weekends, he had a sense of purpose about him and he was mocked by many. I don’t think too many people cared that much for Co2 emissions and there wasn’t any recycling, we just went to the ‘tip’ instead and never questioned where our rubbish would go. To put it bluntly, it just wasn’t cool to be ‘green’ when the public angst was fighting against Poll Tax and fighting for the miners.
It’s different now and rightly so. Plastic is a thing and we have wonky carrots, we separate our waste into coloured bins, and most of us at least we think about climate change and fossil fuels.
Nobody laughs at being ‘green’ any more.
My history teacher would no longer be mocked for his values or his wardrobe. Small businesses have emerged out of having green credentials and it somehow makes them cool. Small businesses embrace up-cycling and recycling, they add value to the community…they are doing their bit to save the planet.
Big businesses are catching the same wave too. Ikea is planning on renting you furniture and how to extend the life of the furniture that you once bought with the intention of throwing it away. Even Apple want my old iPhone in part exchange and yes their website tells you that this is going to be good for the planet. However cynical you might be, at least it’s a start.
There is an opportunity here for you too. If Apple can motivate me into exchanging my iPhone by telling me it’s good for the planet, there has to be an opportunity for you and your dental practice too. Unlike big businesses, you can move quickly with this. You don’t need a steering committee or a customer focus group to make your first move. You just need the motivation to do something and make a difference.
It’s time to fill in the gap. “I visit my dentist because it’s good for me, and it’s good for the planet too because ……………”
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