Environmental
Program
Elm Tree Dental Clinic is a leader in environmental responsibility, having taken consistent and conscious steps towards higher energy efficiency. Our clinic is the first business in Caledon to buy 100% renewable energy from Bullfrog Power. Anyone in Caledon can switch to Bullfrog Power - it’s a mix of wind energy and Ecologo-certified hydroelectric power that uses no coal, nuclear or gas resources.
We heat our water and building with natural gas from Bullfrog Power too. They add renewable natural gas from landfills and other projects to the system for any we use. We are also generating clean power with our solar panels.
Solar Power
We are now generating clean electricity with 32 solar panels mounted on our rooftop. These produce up to 7500W of power. Click here for more info about the MicroFIT program.
Energy Efficient Lighting
We use ultra high efficiency LED lighting throughout the office, with a few high-efficiency fluorescent lights gradually getting upgraded.
Recycling
We are able to recycle all your used toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and floss containers. Look for our special recycling bin in our waiting room. We use an excellent recycling program from Terracycle.
Other recycling efforts in our clinic include but are not limited to:
using compostable cups and reusable bibs for our patients
recycling all cardboard
recycling all plastics
composting paper towels and compostable patient cups
Heating
We had an Energy Efficiency Audit in 2000 to help us decrease heat loss and improve heating efficiency (this program has since been defunded by The Provincial Conservative Government). We also heat with renewable natural gas from Bullfrog Power.
Cooling
During the summer, we open all the windows first thing in the morning and use evacuation fans to vent out all the stale warm air. When the day heats up we close them and activate our air conditioning. This means our office is a bit warmer than 20 degrees in summer, but it also reduces the electrical demand right when it is highest, so less smog is produced from electricity generation.
Computers, hubs and power bars
We shut down all our computer systems every night and also shut down the UPS and power bars they connect to, so all the peripherals don’t use energy 24 hours a day. New for 2005, we have switched entirely to notebook computers and EnergyStar compliant LCD monitors to save more energy.
Water Efficiency
Our suction unit is equipped with a water recycler to reduce water consumption, and our hands-free taps and high efficiency taps and toilets help reduce water usage too.
Mercury Capture system
Our resident Dr. Ehrlich was the winner of the 1998 Environmentalist of the Year award in Caledon. The Elm Tree Clinic endeavors to be as environmentally-responsible as possible. We do not use mercury-containing fillings. Our office was one of the first in Ontario to be equipped with an amalgam recycler, which allows us to capture any mercury-silver filling debris removed from teeth which enter our suction lines, and ship it for proper handling and recycling.
X-ray chemicals and other waste
We no longer use x-ray film or chemical developers, as we use digital systems. All our biohazardous waste is collected separately and sent for proper treatment and disposal, according to local and provincial guidelines.