Sustainable Practices in Animal Care

Submitted by coleen.yan@edd… on Mon, 09/11/2023 - 17:04

What is sustainability?

Have you ever wondered what sustainability is? Sustainability “means doing things thoughtfully by thinking ahead and looking at how your actions impact the environment and surroundings” (business.govt.nz, 2023). In other words, using resources and performing tasks in a way that will allow you to keep using those resources and doing the task the same way for a very long time.

There are three main components of sustainability, known as the pillars of sustainability:

  • Environmental Protection
  • Social Equity
  • Economic Prosperity

It is recognised that for human activity and/or development to occur in a sustainable way, all three aspects must be assessed. The pillars are outlined in the following table.

Pillar Description
Environment Protection Includes minimising or eliminating impacts on the natural environment due to exploitation and development, while maintaining biodiversity, air and water quality.
Social Equity Includes maintaining human rights, security, freedom to live in dignity and freedom from fear.
Economic Prosperity Ensures the viability of a defined level of economic production over the long term, often focused on local communities. Economic prosperity is achieved when an organisation has adapted ways in which to use its resources more efficiently and effectively to reduce its impact on the environment. This includes practices such as using renewable energy, reducing waste, recycling and so on.

The following video explains this framework and what happens when policies only support one pillar. The main argument of the video is that an integrated approach towards development is the only way forward to ensure the future of the planet and the continued well-being of humans and animals.

Watch: The 3 Pillars of Sustainability (4:18 minutes)

Video URL: Episode 6: The 3 Pillars of Sustainability | Sustainable Development | SDG Plus - YouTube

Pre-Watch Task: There are two examples in the video of what happens when policies only support one pillar. On a piece of paper write:
Action 1 -
Consequence 1 -
Action 2 -
Consequence 2 -
As you listen, write down the actions and the consequences that happened because of the actions.

Post-Watch Task: Think about how the three pillars of sustainability model might affect the relationships between humans and companion animals. Write your thoughts down for your own reference.

Principles of sustainability

When considering sustainability, there are four principles that work with the three pillars of sustainability. The four principles of sustainability are to:

  • Limit the use of Earth's resources
  • Minimise waste
  • Cultivate land wisely
  • Provide quality work environments.

Global sustainability

Global sustainability, as the name suggests, is sustainability on a larger scale. That is, how sustainability is actioned across the globe.

Global sustainability action has increased significantly in recent years as the general population has become more aware of and motivated to act on key issues such as climate change, equality, and health and well-being. As a result, the United Nations developed 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in line with the three pillars model to combat these issues. The following table lists the 17 SDGs under their relevant pillars.

Environmental Protection Social Equity Economic Prosperity
  • Clean water and sanitation
  • Affordable and clean energy
  • Sustainable cities and communities
  • Responsible consumption and production
  • Climate action
  • Life below water
  • Life on land
  • No poverty
  • Zero hunger
  • Quality education
  • Good health and wellbeing
  • Peace, justice and strong institutions
  • Gender equality
  • Reduced inequalities
  • Decent work and economic growth
  • Industry, innovation and infrastructure
  • Partnerships for the goals
17 Sustainable development goals
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Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) logo and icons, © United Nations

The goals related to Environmental Protection, as well as other global initiatives and targets, are used by individual countries, states and territories, industries and workplaces as an underpinning to environmental sustainability legislation, regulations, codes of practice, policies and procedures.

How can these goals be implemented in the animal care workplace? A good example of professionals taking sustainability seriously can be found in the Green Team at Massey University’s School of Veterinary Science, who took action to become more environmentally sustainable in their practices. Check out this account of their actions for inspiration. Waste not » New Zealand Veterinary Association (nzva.org.nz)

We will work through steps you can take in your own work role throughout this module, so that you can make a difference too.

First up though we will take a look at the specific parts of the 3 sustainability pillars model from a New Zealand perspective.

Sub Topics

In New Zealand, we love our unique natural environment, and we love our companion animal family members. As we have seen via the Te Urewera Act though, uncontrolled companion animals can become an environmental issue for our natural spaces.

Companion animals have a significant social impact on us, so rather than ban them completely, let’s look at some initiatives that aim to protect our environment and still enable us to enjoy the company of our companion animal friends.

Wellington City Council have a great page on their website about managing pets in the natural environment.

Read: Nature-friendly pets (15-minute read)

Reading
Nature-friendly pets (15 minute read)

On this page, you will find information about managing cats and dogs, plus some useful facts, links to other pages and even a quiz on how conservation-friendly your cat is.

URL: https://wellington.govt.nz/climate-change-sustainability-environment/environment/what-you-can-do-for-the-environment/nature-friendly-pets

Post Read Task: What are three things that owners of companion animals can do to ensure that the environment is protected? Make notes for your own records.

The next article takes a stronger position on the often-bad relationship between the environment and pet ownership. Don’t be alarmed though: the Professor who is interviewed in the story is a pet owner himself and does not suggest anything bad for people who currently have pets. You can read a summary of what he says by following the link, and you can also listen to the interview that aired on RadioNZ (RNZ). The link to the audio file is in the story.

Reading
Pet numbers need to shrink to help save the planet (5 minutes + audio)

Professor Raubenheimer talks about the environmental cost of pet ownership and provides some solutions to reducing this cost.

Questions

Pre Read Question: As you read, think about the three pillars of sustainability. Does this article consider all three pillars of the model, or just the environmental pillar?

URL: Pet numbers need to shrink to help save the planet | RNZ

Post Read Task: Do you agree with what the article said? Why or why not? Write your thoughts down for your own learning notes.

Tūpuna Maunga

Hills outside Auckland

The 14 Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) are an important part of the geography, culture, and history of Auckland and have been owned by the Tamaki Collective, a group made up of iwi and hapu from the Auckland area, since 2014. The Maunga are managed in a co-governance arrangement between the Tamaki Collective and the Auckland Council. Unlike the Te Urewera Act 2014 where non-native animals are not permitted in Te Urewera, consideration has been given to the need to balance environmental needs with social values. Dog access is managed, rather than forbidden: “Cycling / running / walking (including exercising dogs) / recreational events may be provided for where they positively contribute to the Maunga and community.” (Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority, 2019)

The full management plan is here: Tupuna-Maunga-Integrated-Management-Plan-Strategies.pdf. If you are interested, you can search the document to find specific references to dogs by using the search icon (magnifying glass).

The social pillar of the sustainability model includes goals for:

  • No poverty
  • Zero hunger
  • Quality education
  • Good health and wellbeing

Reduced inequalities for humans are also good for our companion animals. Human poverty, hunger, lack of access to good education and poor health and well-being have a negative effect on the lives of our companion animals. Look at this statement from the SPCA:

SPCA supports a ‘One Welfare’ approach which recognises the interconnectedness of animal welfare, human wellbeing, and the environment.
https://www.spca.nz/advocacy/position-statements/article/one-welfare

They (SPCA) go on to say that animal welfare and human welfare are intertwined in a way that is difficult to separate. This is a clear acknowledgement of the social importance of animals to human welfare. In the quote above, they also use the word ‘environment’. Do they (SPCA) consider the economic pillar of sustainability as well?

Reading
Position Statement ‘One Welfare’ (5 minutes)

This short webpage is the SPCA’s position statement on well-being, biodiversity and the environment.

Questions

Pre-read Question: Is the economic pillar of sustainability also included (directly or indirectly) in their statement?

URL: One Welfare (spca.nz)

How does the economic pillar of sustainability relate to the care of companion animals? One study carried out in New Zealand found that “approximately one-fourth of respondents reported that owning a cat and or dog creates financial strain”. (Forrest et al, 2023)

The answer lies in the choices that we make in the care of our pets. In the following article from Stuff.co.nz are some basic suggestions that can help improve the economic and environmental sustainability of pet ownership. As you read, notice how closely economics links to social and environmental factors.

Reading
Cats versus dogs: Which one makes the most sustainable pet? (5 minutes)
Questions

Pre-Read Question: As you read, write down the actions that pet owners can take to make having a companion cat or dog more economically sustainable.

URL: Cat versus dogs: Which one makes the most sustainable pet? | Stuff.co.nz

A cat hiding in bushes

Environmental Sustainability Legislation and Regulations

It is important that you have a general understanding of applicable environmental legislation and regulations as they relate to your job role in the animal care industry. You are not required to be an expert in all the laws and regulations. That can be left to management. However, it is really important that you are aware of and understand the aspects of the laws and regulations that are relevant to your job so that you can remain compliant. Non-compliance may result in fines for you as an individual or for the company you work for, a loss of license that allows the workplace to function or, in extreme cases, be considered a criminal offence.

To gain a greater understanding of laws related to this topic, watch the following video, Environmental Law: A Very Short Introduction.

Watch: Environmental Law: A Very Short Introduction (4:02 minutes)

Elizabeth Fisher, author of Environmental Law: A Very Short Introduction, gives her top 10 things you should know about Environmental Law.

Questions

Keep the three pillars of sustainability model in mind as you watch, and make a note of the things that Elizabeth says that align with the model.

In New Zealand, there are a number of acts and regulations that relate to environmental sustainability. These include:

  • Resource Management Act 1991
  • Environmental Reporting Act 2015
  • Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019
  • Resource Management Amendment Act 2020
  • Natural and Built Environment Act 2023

These are big pieces of legislation, and fortunately, you don’t need to read them for this qualification! We will instead focus on the impact of the legislation at the level of the workplace.

Workplaces have a social and, in some cases, regulatory responsibility to implement environmental sustainability policies and procedures. These policies and procedures are documented to help communicate to employees, customers and other stakeholders how the company is working to improve its practices to benefit and sustain the local environment.

Workplace policies and procedures

Workplace policies and procedures include, but are not limited to, the following five categories:

  • Energy
  • Water
  • Transportation
  • Hazardous materials
  • Waste management.

To get an idea of a workplace policy, examine the Sustainability and Environmental Policy, created for the Centre for Corporate Health to “integrate environmental sustainability into its operations, practices and decision making” (Centre for Corporate Health 2022).

Energy

Energy is the amount of ‘work’ an appliance or machine does and is measured in Joules (J). You may have heard of the term ‘energy efficient’. This term essentially means to use less energy to provide the same service. The energy efficiency of household appliances is typically presented by stars. The more stars, the more energy-efficient the appliance will be.

Energy efficiency rating system sticker

Most appliances and machinery use electricity for energy. So, when an appliance has high energy efficiency, it uses less electricity and is cheaper to use than a similar appliance of lower energy efficiency. Therefore, it is in the best interests of a business to conserve energy use by:

  • Installing energy-efficient equipment and appliances, such as washing machines and dryers. This is particularly important when working in settings where there are high amounts of laundry generated.
  • Switching electrical equipment and devices off when not in use.
  • Turning lights off when not in use and at the end of shifts.
  • Installing more sustainable energy sources, such as solar panels.
FUN FACT!

Did you know installing an energy-efficient commercial gas dryer could also be a wise money-saving green option (Shaw 2015)?

Water

Water is used in many different ways within a workplace. For example, in taps, toilets, showers and baths; dishwashers; evaporative air conditioners; and garden watering systems. Working in animal care requires a lot of water to be used, such as when you are maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of the clinic or practice or working in a dog grooming salon. You also need to consider the number of animals that are in the facility and their requirements, not only for hydration but keeping them clean. Imagine how much water is needed to wash a Great Dane!

Methods to reduce water use in the workplace include:

  • Using low flow taps or installing a restrictor or aerator
  • Fixing dripping taps
  • Installing taps that turn off automatically in bathrooms
  • Using water-saving toilets, such as dual flush
  • Considering appliances with high water efficiency such as:
    • A hydrobath that uses the minimum water needed per cycle
    • A hydrobath that recycles water rather than a bath or sink where all water goes down the drain
    • A double tank hydrobath, which recycles water more efficiently than a single tank hydrobath.
  • Ensuring there is thermostat control on air conditioners and setting it to an appropriate temperature
  • Using timing devices on automatic sprinklers so they don't operate in the heat of the day
  • Installing water tanks or using bore water for gardens, washing machines and toilets
  • Using energy- and water-efficient washing machines (washing machines are an integral appliance in animal care where towels and blankets provided at the clinic need to be washed and dried to adhere to hygiene practices)
  • Considering the size of the loads you are washing (you should not run a full cycle for three small hand towels, but rather wait until you can fill the machine and then run the washing cycle).

Transportation

Your workplace may offer a transportation or delivery service as part of its operations, or it may receive regular deliveries from transport companies. In addition to work-related transport needs, there are also employees' private transport methods for commuting to and from work. Often, employees commute in a car by themselves.

Ways to improve environmental sustainability regarding transportation include:

  • Regular fleet maintenance, upgrading to electric vehicles, free e-vehicle charging stations for staff
  • Using cleaner fuels
  • Encouraging staff carpooling, use of public transport or cycling where possible.

Hazardous materials

Animal facilities use materials that can pose a considerable hazard to employees, the general community and the environment. Often, the use of these hazardous materials can’t be avoided. However, measures can be taken to ensure their impacts are minimised. The use and disposal of hazardous materials is regulated in New Zealand and workplaces must comply with the requirements or face fines and other ramifications.

A veterinarian disposing of biohazard materials properly

Examples of hazardous materials include:

  • Corrosive chemicals (undiluted) – for example, used for cleaning
  • Petrol and oil products – for example, used for fuel for machinery
  • Biological products – for example, carcasses, infectious tissue, faeces and contaminated bedding
  • Clinical waste – for example, sharps, bandages and swabs.

As you have already learnt, it is also essential to create a clean and hygienic work environment, especially when working with animals in any veterinary clinic. You will need to ensure you are using cleaning products that are safe around people and animals but can kill unwanted pathogens (any microbe that causes disease and that can be spread). The clinic may want to consider swapping their cleaning products for equally effective, yet biodegradable cleaning products. These products are less likely to contain dangerous and damaging disinfectants, such as sodium hypochlorite (Shaw 2015).

Waste management

All workplaces generate waste of some kind. Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. A well-made waste management plan should include all waste control elements including collection, transportation, processing, recycling and/or disposal of waste products. All industry sectors can improve their waste management by using resources and disposing of waste responsibly. However, not everything needs to end up in a landfill.

THE SIX RS

Workplaces should consider the implementation of the ‘Six Rs’ to help reduce their waste production:

  • Rethink – Consider whether the item needs to be used at all, or if an alternative item or process could be used.
  • Refuse – Stop buying items that are not needed or are unethical or unsustainable in their production.
  • Reduce – Change processes to limit the consumption or use of certain items.
  • Reuse – Replace single-use items with reusable options where possible; try to find ways to repurpose single-use items before disposal.
  • Repair – Where possible repair damaged items or equipment before replacing them. When replacement is necessary, try to find more efficient, durable and sustainable options.
  • Recycle – Sort items appropriately for collection and recycling, when items are not sorted correctly, the entire batch may end up in landfill instead of being recycled (Mridul 2021).
A hex diagram depicting the six r's

With the increase in costs for handling waste and overflowing landfills, waste reduction is now a necessary option. Considerable waste created by any business can be recycled. The use of the appropriate bins is a step in the right direction to minimising landfill.

Here are a few additional waste reduction techniques that can benefit every business and the environment:

  • Conduct a waste assessment. Looking into what your business purchases and throws away will tell you the types of waste your facility generates. This information will help you identify the items that can be recycled or composted and where changes can be made to the items purchased.
  • Implement a recycling or composting program.
  • Purchase recycled products.
  • Send packaging back to suppliers.
  • Use reusable cleaning cloths, bandages and napkins.

The use of X-rays is common in the animal care industry, especially in a veterinary practice. Most X-rays are printed. However, with emerging technology, X-rays can now be viewed digitally. Consider switching to digital radiography over conventional film-based X-rays, which use hazardous chemicals and film that can’t be recycled and will end up in landfill (Shaw 2015).

In addition to these practices, you may wish to consult with government associations to help support your business in the movement towards a sustainable approach. In some cases, there may be the option for financial support to help with the cost of transferring products to adhere to sustainable practice.

As you are just starting in the industry, you have an opportunity to undertake training in your workplace. Taking initiative is always one way to show your dedication to the job and S to positively contribute to your work environment and seeking additional training for sustainability may be a good way to start. There may be opportunities to engage in professional development workshops where you can obtain information on creating a sustainable workplace. The information you learn should be shared with those working with you.

Let’s look at how Caleb’s employers made changes in practices to be more sustainable.

Case Study
Sustainability Practices at Perfect Pup Grooming

Each month, the team at Perfect Pup Grooming engages in a team meeting. The meeting agenda for this month is on the topic of sustainability. The owners, Steve and Debbie, have bought the team together to discuss the following:

  • Current practices they have in place.
  • Suggestions for future sustainable practices.
  • Advantages and disadvantages (pros and cons).
  • Cost involved.
  • Are they working?

The following diagram outlines the current sustainable practices the team have in place.

A diagram outlines the current sustainable practices the team have in place

During the meeting, Debbie, and Steve asked the team to brainstorm some of the pros and cons of the current processes they have in place. The following table outlines the pros and cons the team came up with concerning their current sustainable practices. In addition to these pros and cons, solutions for the cons were identified where possible.

The team worked together to brainstorm some new ideas that had not yet been considered for sustainable practice. These ideas were carefully considered in terms of cost and the time required to implement the new procedures. Areas where extra research is needed before clear goals can be established were identified as well as discussing contacting local environmental personnel for advice on moving forward.

Debbie and Steve displayed these new goals on the whiteboard in the staff area where the team would be able to add to them should ideas come to mind. These suggested goals will be reviewed at the next team meeting.

The starting goals for new sustainable practices are:

  • Biodegradable chemicals.
  • Switch to LED lighting.
  • Staff training on additional sustainable practice.
  • Paperless records - moving to digital.
  • Stock eco-friendly supplies.
  • Engage with government organisations.

Activity

If you are currently working in an animal care workplace, make a list of the sustainable practices that are already in place. Then, come up with at least one more sustainable practice that could be implemented that is not yet happening in your workplace. Share your practice idea in the forum.

If you are not employed yet, think about what your household does. What sustainable practices do you have in place? Make a list of them. Then, come up with at least one new sustainable practice that you could implement at home. Share your list in the forum.

Responsibilities

Your role as an employee within the animal care industry comes with several responsibilities. You are not only responsible for the animals you care for, but also for how your actions impact the environment.

Your environmental responsibilities include a duty of care to:

  • follow any legal or reasonable directives of management relating to environmental sustainability that may be communicated in written or verbal form.
  • reduce and/or improve your use of consumables such as energy, water, transportation, hazardous materials and disposable (waste) products.
  • conduct regular monitoring audits of your immediate work area and practices (or the wider organisation if you have access) to determine if more efficient equipment or processes could be implemented.
  • report any broken or inefficient equipment, appliances or practices.
  • encourage others to be environmentally conscious.

As your experience and knowledge begin to develop, so too will your confidence and ability to recognise environmental issues and implement sustainable practices. While management is responsible for implementing changes and delivering the appropriate training it is important for you to stay on top of any changes to environmental sustainability practices that occur within your industry. This contributes to the future well-being of our planet.

Monitoring of personal resource use

You can make improvements to the amount and number of resources you consume in the workplace, even if your place of employment doesn't have any official environmental sustainability policies or procedures. Once you have identified the environmental and resource issues within your workplace and gained some insight into their scope, you will be able to assess the resources that are used in your role and the approach you take to environmental efficiency.

A person throwing garbage in segrated bins.

It is important to review the consumption of and use of all resources used in your workplace. For example, to remain conscious of minimising waste of chemical products, careful measuring, correct dilution rates and good storage practices are important. Another example: paper is one of the most commonly used resources in almost all workplaces. Think about how you could reduce paper waste in your personal workplace practices.

Can you think of other workplace resources that could be used more efficiently?

Common resources that are used in animal care workplaces include, but are not limited to:

  • animal shampoo
  • animal food
  • kitty litter
  • medications for animals
  • flea and tick control products
  • disinfectants and antiseptics
  • printer ink and cartridges
  • paper towel
  • washing up liquids and other cleaning products
  • bandaging materials and other single-use disposables
  • clipper blades, scissors, combs and brushes
  • bags for customer purchases
  • poo bags.

Ask yourself some questions such as:

  • How often do you use the above resources?
  • Could the resources be replaced with recycled materials or environmentally sustainable resources?
  • Could you change your work practices to reduce the use of materials and resources?

Once you have identified the resources you use in your work role you can then begin to work out your current usage to estimate the reduction that could occur if you changed some of your processes and procedures.

The following table outlines some common considerations for each of the five main areas of environmental sustainability.

Area of Sustainability Considerations: Ask the Questions
Energy
  • Do you turn off your computer, machinery or other electrical equipment each night?
  • Do you switch off lights as you leave a room?
Water
  • Do you use the half flush option on the toilet when applicable?
  • Do you only run the dishwasher when it is full?
Transportation
  • How do you travel to work?
  • Is there a more sustainable method available, such as walking, cycling or public transport?
Hazardous Materials
  • Do you follow workplace and legislative recommendations for the use and disposal of hazardous materials
Waste Management
  • Do you use single-use items such as paper towels, latex gloves, sanitising wipes?
  • Are there any reusable options available?
  • Do you recycle items such as paper and aluminium cans?

By being aware of your resource use and making even small improvements, you will make a difference and set a good example for others regarding environmental sustainability.

Environmental sustainability audits

Workplace environmental sustainability audits are larger versions of personal resource monitoring and can be conducted internally or externally. Audits may be preventative, as a means of improving operations, efficiency and safety, or reactionary as a result of an incident. Preventative audits are the best option as reactionary audits may be too late to avoid fines or legal consequences for the business. In this section of learning we will take a look at what internal and external audits are and how they relate to animal care roles.

A medical professional disposing biohazardous out of the building

Internal audits

Internal audits are often undertaken by a committee of workplace representatives or, if the business is large enough, by a specific department or person dedicated to environmental sustainability. During the internal audit process, environmental hazards and their associated risks should be identified and evaluated. The environmental sustainability audit process may be combined with a workplace, health and safety audit.

Internal audits often follow pre-determined checklists of things to inspect and monitor. For example:

Internal Sustainability Checklist Yes (Y) No (N) Comments
Type of lighting equipment used is sustainable.      
Lights left on in the workplace unnecessarily (after hours, weekends or public holidays)      
Timing or motion control devices to limit the use of unnecessary lighting      
Opportunities to increase the use of natural light (windows and skylights)      
Computers and other electrical equipment are switched off at the wall each night      
Check the energy efficiency rating of appliances like refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers      
Run full wash cycles only      
Controls in place to minimise printer and toner use      
Recycling programmes utilised for paper and toner cartridges      
Low-flow taps/showerheads in use      
Toilet systems feature dual flush systems      
Recycled water or rainwater tanks used to supply water for hoses and other high water use appliances, like hydro-baths      
Recycling bins available      
Food waste tracker used to monitor and eliminate unnecessary food waste at facility      
Rotation of stock      
Expiry dates check and/or only long expiry dated stock accepted in orders      

Let’s look at how Emily approaches this at work in the following case study.

Case Study
Minimising food wastage at the SPCA

Emily has recently taken over cleaning out the three food-fridges in the dog runs (small/puppies, medium and large runs) at the SPCA and she has noticed that a lot of wet dog food is thrown out. Multiple cans of the same food are often thrown out because they were open in the fridge.

Emily mentioned this at a staff meeting. Her manager asked her to keep track of the wastage and for everyone to have a think about what they can do to reduce the amount of wasted food.

It is the summer school holidays. The kennel is very busy with all cages full in the boarding section and lots of admissions and discharges each day. The kennel offers both wet and dry food to dogs staying overnight. Some dogs are on specialised diets and are not offered the standard wet food. However, the standard wet food is:

  • Ivory Coat Wholegrain Lamb & Brown Rice, Puppy Loaf, 400 g
  • Ivory Coat Wholegrain Chicken & Brown Rice, Adult Dog Loaf, 400 g
  • Ivory Coat Grain Free Lamb & Kangaroo, Adult Dog Can 400 g.

Emily recorded the following information about the amount of food thrown away (wastage) over the period of one week.

Wastage (grams)
Day Puppy Loaf Adult Chicken Loaf Adult Lamb/Kangaroo Can
Monday 0 150 600
Tuesday 290 0 250
Wednesday 0 200 350
Thursday 300 125 300
Friday 0 150 250
Saturday 220 300 200
Sunday 100 150 300
Total Wastage 910 1075 2250

Once Emily had the data, she began to think about how to reduce the wastage.

First, she researched the wet food the kennel used and discovered an alternative product for the puppy food, which was sold in smaller cans. Given that puppies are less common in the kennel, using a smaller product size would reduce the amount of food left over in an open can. Further research showed that once opened, canned food stored correctly must be used within 3 days of opening.

Emily proposed the following procedures to develop the new food storage policy

  • Use cling wrap to seal opened cans in the fridge.
  • Write the date the can was opened on the can.
  • Check the fridge at the beginning of the day and ensure that the open cans are displayed with the oldest at the front (stock rotation).
  • Encourage staff to check the fridge for existing open cans before opening a new can.

Activity

Review the learning content about sustainability monitoring and compare it to Emily’s solutions. Can you think of any other suggestions for the new food storage policy? Make notes for your own reference.

Final Note on Internal Audits

There are many different factors that lead to food wastage in animal care facilities, including incorrect ordering levels, failure to rotate stock, poor storage techniques or the nature of the business.

The following are some easy ways to reduce wastage of food within animal care facilities:

  • Use correct storage temperatures
  • Ensure animals aren’t being overfed
  • Correctly store leftover food to prevent pest infestations, moulds, spoiling or other damage
  • Find an alternative supplier if their minimum order is too high for your facility
  • Rotate stock and check expiry dates often
  • Use an alternative product such as dry food instead of wet food or vice versa
  • Donate excess stock to charities or give to staff with animals
  • Discount stock that is close to expiry
  • Label opened items with the date opened
  • Store and seal leftover food in airtight containers
  • Freeze and defrost food as needed.

External Audits

External audits are carried out by personnel that do not work in the same workplace. There are a variety of private external audit companies that provide preventative consulting services for workplaces. Your workplace may use such a company, in which case you may be required to participate in their audits. This may include being interviewed about your work practices or having someone observe you working for a period of time.

Outcomes of audits

Informal personal resource use monitoring may result in you identifying certain environmental hazards, risks, or inefficiencies. Part of your duty of care is to notify your supervisor and/or applicable environmental sustainability officer or team of these issues.

Reporting may be any or all of the following:

  • Informal, such as a face-to-face conversation, telephone call or basic email.
  • Formal, such as via a hazard identification or incident notification form, which may be paper-based or electronic. Another example of a formal method of reporting would be to add the issue to the agenda of the next formal staff meeting.

After a formal internal audit has been conducted by authorised staff members, a report is usually generated for management's consideration. The report will outline the results of the audit and provide recommendations for improvements.

Management will determine if any of the following is to occur:

  • policy or procedural implementation or amendment
  • repair existing equipment
  • purchase new equipment or resources
  • conduct training for staff.

Some changes may be initiated immediately. However, other changes may be phased in due to their complexity or cost. Remember, it is not necessarily the best option to replace products or equipment that have already been purchased just because they are not the most environmentally efficient option. Management may elect to wait until items run out or break down and need to be replaced before considering environmentally sustainable products or equipment.

Measuring and documenting resource usage

Measurement is a critical component of improving performance for most areas within an organisation. This is also prevalent in resource use and sustainability.

Common techniques for measuring resource usage may include examination of:

  • invoices from suppliers to compare the volumes of orders and per-unit cost of a product or service examining data provided in utility bills, such as water and electricity bills.
Why measure and document resource usage?

Most environmental sustainability policies and procedures aim to get organisations to use their resources more efficiently, and as a result, create less waste. You will be able to determine how effective a policy or procedure is by measuring the resource usage of the facility.

The measurement of resource usage will also inform you of where to focus your efforts. In other words, if you find several areas where you can improve, you will want to find the most important couple of areas and focus on those first before starting on the others. By doing this you are increasing the chances of success for the improvements to environmental sustainability.

You can also use data and best practice information about your resource usage to understand how your facility compares to others. You can obtain information on best practices for resource usage from an environmental group or your industry body. For instance, you may have measured your facility’s resource usage and discovered that although there are some additional wastes that could be recycled, the electricity usage is much higher than the industry best practice. As such you may suggest some initiatives to reduce the usage of electricity before the waste reduction ones.

Calculations and formulas

When collecting data on resource usage, you will need to understand how to calculate the usage as well as the appropriate units of measurement. Let’s look at some common methods and examples for calculating the use of water and electricity (or energy).

Measuring Water Use

Water usage is measured in kilolitres (kL). 1 kL is 1 000 litres. Every residence and business place has a water meter that measures the amount of water that is used by the premises. To calculate water usage, you need to know how to read the water meter.

Watch: How to read your water meter and check for leaks (1:13 min

The following video is an easy guide to help you measure water use.

Three methods can be used when measuring water in the workplace.

Method 1: Water bill

Read your water bill. The water bill will tell you exactly how much water has been used within a specific period.

Method 2: Calculator tools

You can calculate your daily average water usage using an online calculator tool, such as those provided here: Water Calculator: What’s your water footprint? (smartwatermark.org).

For example, assume that your total water usage for a billing period of 30 days was 5.25 kL and you want to know what your average daily use is. Simply divide the total usage by the number of days in the billing period. Remember that 1 kL = 1 000 L!

$$\begin{aligned}\mathsf{Average\;daily\;usage}\;&=\;\frac{\mathsf{Total\;amount\;of\;water\;used}}{\mathsf{Number\;of\;days\;in\;period}}\\\\&=\;\frac{5\,250}{30}\\\\&=175\;\mathsf{L}\end{aligned}$$

Method 3: Meter measurements

First, read the water meter to calculate the volume of water used each day in the period you wish to calculate. You should read the meter at the same time each day during this period.

To document your measurements, it is best to create a table. You may wish to do this digitally or with pen and paper. Make sure to plan the number of columns and rows you will need and include appropriate headings and units.

The following table is an example of a record of water meter readings over a period of four days. The first day you record the reading is Day 0, because you can’t calculate the usage for this day. It just gives you a starting point for the measured usage.

Day Time Water Meter Reading (KL)
0 8 am 5250
1 8 am 5500
2 8 am 6012
3 8 am 6020
6 8 am 6040

Next, calculate the difference between consecutive days to get the total usage for the previous day. Then add all the daily usage amounts to calculate the total usage for the period. Examples of these calculations have been demonstrated in the following table, using the data collected in the previous table.

Day Calculation Total Daily Water Use
Day 1 (Day 1) – (Day 0)
5550 – 5250 kL
= 250kL
Day 2 (Day 2) – (Day 1)
6012 – 5550 kL
= 462 kL
Day 3 (Day 3) – (Day 2)
6020 – 6012 kL
= 8 kL
Day 4 (Day 4) – (Day 3)
6040 – 6020 kL
 = 20 kL
  Total usage for this period 250 + 462 + 8 + 20 = 790 kL

Finally, now that you have the total water usage for the period, you can calculate the average daily usage using the same equation from Method 2.

$$\begin{aligned}\mathsf{Average\;daily\;usage}\;&=\;\frac{\mathsf{Total\;amount\;of\;water\;used}}{\mathsf{Number\;of\;days\;in\;period}}\\\\&=\;\frac{790}{4}\\\\&=197.5\;\mathsf{kL}\end{aligned}$$

While this method takes longer, it allows you to determine the days you are using the most amount of water. From these calculations, you can see that the most amount of water used was on day two.

Measuring Electricity

Electricity is measured in Watts (W). The equivalent three methods can be used to measure electricity as to measure water usage:

Method 1: Electricity bill

Reading your electricity bill. The electricity bill will tell you exactly how much electricity has been used within a specific time.

Method 2: Calculator tools and devices

Calculate the energy use or annual running cost of any appliance within the workplace using an online appliance electricity cost calculator. The electrical cost calculator allows you to work out how much electricity is being used by one appliance over a year.

You can also buy an appliance power meter. A power meter is a device that plugs into the wall socket and the appliance is then plugged into the power meter. The power meter measures the amount of electricity (energy) used by the appliance that is plugged in.

Method 3: Meter measurements

First, read the electricity meter to calculate the amount of energy used each day in the period you wish to calculate. You should read the meter at the same time each day during this period.

To document your measurements, create a table with the appropriate number of columns and rows. Don’t forget to include headings and units where necessary.

The following table is an example of a record of electricity meter readings over a period of four days. Remember that Day 0 is to work out the starting point for the measured usage.

Day Time Electrical Meter Reading (KL)
0 8 am 2500
1 8 am 3500
2 8 am 3750
3 8 am 4080
4 8 am 5000

Next, calculate the difference between consecutive days to get the total usage for the previous day. Then add all the daily usage amounts to calculate the total usage for the period. Examples of these calculations have been demonstrated in the following table, using the data collected in the previous table.

Day Calculation Total Daily Water Use
Day 1 (Day 1) – (Day 0)
3500 – 2500 W
= 1000 W
Day 2 (Day 2) – (Day 1)
3750 – 3500 W
= 250 W 
Day 3 (Day 3) – (Day 2)
4080 – 3750 W
= 330 W
Day 4 (Day 4) – (Day 3)
5000 – 4080 W
= 920 W
   Total usage for this period 1000 + 250 + 330 + 920 = 2500 W

Finally, now that you have the total electrical usage for the period, you can calculate the average daily usage using the following formula.

$$\begin{aligned}\mathsf{Average\;daily\;usage}\;&=\;\frac{\mathsf{Total\;amount\;of\;water\;used}}{\mathsf{Number\;of\;days\;in\;period}}\\\\&=\;\frac{790}{4}\\\\&=197.5\;\mathsf{kL}\end{aligned}$$

As with calculating water usage, this method of measuring usage provides more detail around differences in usage across the period being looked at.

Measuring Finite Resource Usage

To measure water and energy usage, you measure the flow of the resource into the workplace as a whole or to a specific appliance. However, many resources are used in discrete units, such as reams of paper, cans of dog food or packets of kitty litter.

To measure the usage of these types of resources it can be easier to examine ordering invoices or record every time a new packet is opened.

For example, to calculate the average amount of paper used per person, per day you will want to find out the total amount of paper used during a certain period. You can do this by finding out how much paper is used over a period, say a month, and then dividing this number by the number of days in the period. This will give you the daily average usage of the resources. Then divide the daily average usage by the number of personnel who use that resource to calculate the average amount per person, per day. You can then use figures like these to compare work areas or compare efficiencies of different procedures.

Methods for documenting the usage of resources

A leader presenting various graphs and figures to staff.

Sometimes reading and interpreting numerical information and data can be overwhelming. Presenting data and information in graphs and tables tends to make it much easier to understand. Graphs make it easy to see any trends that are present and have an easy way to show this data to others who may need to know. There may be specific systems that are in place within your workplace that is used to generate the data and present it in a readable format. It is up to senior staff and management to ensure their staff have been trained how to read and interpret these documents to ensure the team is across resource usage. The following images are some examples of how documentation of resources can be displayed.

A sample diagram of pie chartsA sample diagram of bar graphsA sample diagram of line graphs

Knowledge check

Complete the following questions.

Summary

Well done and kei runga noa atu - outstanding work on reaching the end of Module 2 on legislation in the animal care industry. The key pieces of legislation for the animal care workplace that you need to be aware of are:

  • The Animal Welfare Act 1999
  • The Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations 2018
  • Te Urewera Act 2014
  • Code of Welfare for Companion Cats and Dogs
  • Temporary Housing of Companion Animals

Also covered in this module because it is the essential legislation for any New Zealand workplace is:

  • The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

We then revisited the concept of workplace health and safety policy and procedures, as these are always informed by HSWA. As part of your health and safety training you also need to be aware of what the policy and procedures are for large scale emergencies.

The final topic that we looked at is sustainability in the animal care workplace. We didn’t do a deep dive into the legislation around sustainability in New Zealand (that would be an entire programme by itself!). However, we did look at the responsibilities that organisations and workers have to ensure that the sustainability requirements of the legislation are being met.

You are now ready to complete and submit assessment 02A1. Good luck, and we are confident that you will do an amazing job on your submission.

Assessment Tips!

This assessment will be very similar in format to 01A1 in Module 1. It is based around scenarios that have short answer questions. The questions are designed to show that you can apply your knowledge in your own words*. So rather than reading each question and searching the learning content for a specific answer, the questions require to you to make connections between the learning content and the provided scenario and write a response that shows you understand what a worker in the animal care industry needs to know and do.

The goal for the first learning outcome of the assessment is for you to be able to: Explain regulatory requirements and relevant codes of practice for animal care and welfare in New Zealand.

  • The assessment tasks will require you to explain the legislation and why it applies.

The goal for the second learning outcome of the assessment is for you to be able to: Comply with the regulatory requirements and industry codes of practices relevant to an animal care and welfare setting.

  • The assessment tasks will require you to decide what action would be expected of organisations and/or workers in the workplace to be compliant with the legislation.

The best way for you to prepare for your assessments is to pay attention to the case studies, the activities and the discussion forum questions in the learning content because these offer you the opportunities to practice applying the learning content, rather than just trying to read everything and memorise it.

*NOTE: you will see the instruction ‘in your own words’ in some of the assessment tasks. This means that you must not copy the wording of the learning content or copy directly from a source like a legislation web page. We ask you to do this for two reasons:

  1. There are legal consequences for directly copying from someone else’s work
  2. Writing an explanation in your own words is the best way for you to prove that you understand the question and know how to answer it.

You may be asked to re-submit your assessment if the ‘in your own words’ part of the task is not met.

Finally, take your time answering the questions – there’s no need to hurry. It’s a good idea to write your answers, then put the assessment aside for an hour or a day or two. You’re more likely to notice mistakes or missing points when you have fresh eyes and a rested brain.

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