Conference Sponsors and Supporters
Royal College of General Practitioners
The RCGP are delighted to support the first ever Green Impact for Health Conference.
The Green Impact for Health (GIFH) Toolkit and Award scheme was started in Bristol in 2014.
It's a collaboration between GPs in the Severn Faculty of the RCGP, University of Bristol, Health Education England and the National Union of Students (NUS) and is a specialised version for GPs of the NUS popular sustainability accreditation scheme, Green Impact, that runs in over 400 different organisations. The RCGP launched GIFH as a free UK wide scheme for all GPs in 2016.
The GIFH toolkit provides up to date guidance about the changes that will improve quality, save money and improve the environmental sustainability in general practice. It's an online DIY guide to help practices become more environmentally sustainable, aiming to help them become zero carbon practices by 2030. It has already been used by almost 600 General Practices across the country.
The Severn Faculty of the RCGP supports over 1700 members, Fellows, Associates and Associates in Training across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Bath and North-East Somerset and parts of Wiltshire and provides local networking, education and develops and supports initiatives like GIFH that meet new challenges like climate change.
`The Lancet Countdown report on health and climate change, published in November 2019, tracks 41 indicators and represents the views of 35 academic institutions and UN agencies from every continent. It concluded, "an unprecedented challenge demands an unprecedented response, and it will take the work of the 7.5 billion people currently alive to ensure that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate."
Ecotricity
We are delighted Ecotricity have chosen to help support our green impact conference and sponsor our Vegan lunch.
Choosing green energy is one of the simplest steps you can take as an organisation to reduce your environmental impact.
Frome Medical Practice has switched to green electricity and carbon neutralised gas from Ecotricity. Ecotricity don't just supply green energy they make it too, so by joining them you're helping to tackle the climate crisis with every energy bill. Which? recently named Ecotricity as one of the greenest energy companies in Britain - find out why here.
Pukka Herbs
The mission at Pukka Herbs is to harness the incredible power of nature through award-winning organic and ethically-sourced herbal teas and food supplements and to create a world where plants play a central role in human health and wellbeing, in the most sustainable and ethical way possible. Read the Pukka Herbs 2018 Sustainability Report here.
In addition to this, Pukka is committed to becoming carbon zero by 2023.
You can find out more about how Pukka make the teas you will be enjoying at the Conference here.
Pilea Plant Shop
Pilea Plant Shop is our conference plant supplier. Pilea is a new, thriving, local business in Frome. The team at Pilea are passionate about helping people choose the right plants for the right environment, whilst also providing beautiful and more unusual houseplants.
Pilea provide customers with detailed information on keeping their plants happy, both in the shop and via their beautiful Instagram grid - thus avoiding the 'throw away' culture.
Pilea believes that having houseplants to nurture definitely contributes to wellness. Nurturing and caring for a plant gives a real sense of purpose, routine, positivity and satisfaction. Today's busy world is focused around so many screens and so much technology, that it's refreshing and grounding to bring nature permanently into our homes and offices. There's also the health benefits of air purifying plants. Indoor air can be stale and full of pollutants. Plants help to clean our air of these toxins. This purification helps with asthma, headaches, coughs, stress levels and fatigue, and leads to a better nights sleep.
All our conference plants have been selected as they are easy to look after and, of course, come with care instructions. They are all supplied in biodegradable plastic free pots.
Remember to check on our post conference sharing information and Sharing Bright Ideas page, after the Conference, for more information on how you can use plants in your own practice to improve your workplace.
Oatly
The purpose of Oatly is to make it easy for people to turn what they eat and drink into personal moments of healthy joy without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process.
Founded in the 1990s, Oatly's patented enzyme technology copies nature’s own process and turns fiber rich oats into nutritional liquid food. The company is dedicated to upgrading the lives of individuals and the general well being of the planet through a lineup of original oat drinks.
Oatly have a dedicated area of the website for healthcare professionals, where you can read abstract, articles, such as this one on Sustainable Diets, and newsletters, watch webinars and find out more about issues including plant based eating and iodine enrichment.
Oatly are kindly supplying the oat drinks that we will be serving with your teas and coffees during the Conference.