I believe that human health and environmental health are inseparable. That’s why I’ve committed to building a sustainable practice that minimises my environmental impact through conscious decision-making; from the products I use to the way I manage and run my business.
When I first qualified as a Reflexologist in 2003, not much thought was given to our environmental impact as therapists. We used thick towels (at least 2 per client), disposable baby wipes, couch roll, talcum powder and whatever massage products did the job and fitted our budgets. Since then the world has changed and it’s become increasingly apparent that we need to take much better care of our planet. As a result I’ve been working hard over recent years to reduce my carbon footprint.
Here are some of the conscious decisions I’ve made to do this:
- All of my linens are made from lightweight, natural fibres which minimise the number of washing loads I do each week. Obviously for hygiene reasons everything that comes into contact with your feet and head needs to be washed after each use, so even though I can’t use less, I can use less bulky!
- you won’t find microplastic-producing synthetic fibres in use in my clinic. Fleecy blankets may be snuggly, but laundering synthetic fibres is really harmful to the environment.
- I use environmentally-friendly laundry products, line-dry all year round (using a heated airer on cold, wet days) and don’t iron.
- my linens may not be super smooth, but they are comfortable, clean and fresh!
- I use a heated underblanket and a cosy cotton over-blanket, which means that you’ll be toasty warm sandwiched between the two, without the room needing to be stiflingly hot and stuffy.
- I use damp reusable bamboo cloths as footwipes rather than disposable wipes. These are always laundered between use and heated to a high temperature in the microwave every morning, for extra hygiene and your comfort.
- Most of the products that I use on my clients are organic and all of them are vegan and as natural as possible. I don’t use synthetic creams or oils. I also use glass or ceramic containers whenever possible.
- I ditched my paper diary a few years ago in favour of an online booking system which I manage via my Fairphone. I’m currently investigating online records management so that I can get rid of paper consultation forms. In the meantime I always print double-sided onto zero carbon paper
- Everything that can be recycled, is recycled.
- I’ve recently shunned business cards in favour of a QR Code stored in my phone.
I’m sure over time I’ll be adding to this list but for now I’m really pleased with the progress I’ve made over the past few years. Feedback and ideas are always welcome!
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