Green certainly seems to be a buzzword right now, doesn't it? Whether it's automobiles or apples, seemingly everything has a “green” or “organic” connotation. So you're asking yourself, “What does it mean to be green?”

Well, the facts are simple.

• FACT: We know that 1998 was globally the warmest year on record. The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1990, and the 10 warmest days on record took place within the last 15 years. The warming has resulted in significant melting of the polar icecaps, resulting in a sea level increase of four to eight inches.
• FACT: More than 95 percent of California's wetlands have been lost.
• FACT: It is estimated that every three years, the amount of plastic in the ocean doubles. In a part of the Pacific Ocean known informally as the Pacific Garbage Vortex, there's a bigger mass of plastic than plankton.
• FACT: According to The Wall Street Journal, Americans use 100 billion plastic shopping bags each year. Today, manufacturers make an estimated 200 million tons of plastic each year. Less than 3.5 percent is recycled, meaning every year we add 193 million tons of plastic to the world — permanently.
• FACT: It takes approximately 350 years for an aluminum can to decompose.

Those are some hefty numbers to consider. But you still may be asking, “How does the green concept affect my dental practice? What can I do to make a difference?”

The answer is that plenty of things can make a difference. Besides the larger solutions presented by digital radiography, paperless practice, and other changes, there are also smaller steps you can make today and tomorrow to make a green difference — both for the environment and the dental practice's bottom line.

What is green building and LEED?

Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's life cycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal.

Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the man–built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

• Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
• Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
• Reducing waste, pollution, and environmental degradation