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An award-winning family-owned dental practice in Victoria is demonstrating that good business practice and sustainability can go hand in hand.

The team at Beaconsfield Dental from Berwick are as passionate about the environment as they are of good dental hygiene, having purpose-built their dental practice with sustainability at its heart.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just good business, it鈥檚 the right thing to do 鈥� it鈥檚 where the future lies,鈥� said dentist and practice owner Dr Robert Panjkov. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to do the right thing.鈥�

While the ultimate goal is for the business to be entirely energy and water self-sufficient, Panjkov and his practice manager wife Lisa are proud of their environmentally friendly achievements to date. Their efforts have been recognised repeatedly, with Beaconsfield Dental winning the Casey Cardinia Business Award for Sustainability and the Environment three years in a row, from 2015 to 2017.

They are also this year鈥檚 winners of the prestigious 听in the Health category, and finalists in the Casey Cardinia Business Awards for Health, Education and Well-being.

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Lisa and Robert Panjkov with the CEO of Victoria Sustainability, Stan Krpan (centre).

Super solar

To date the Panjkovs have installed 126 solar panels for the practice, positioning them to take advantage of the morning and afternoon sun. Over 4.5 years, the panels have generated 96 megawatts in electricity, saving 10 tonnes of CO₂ in 2017 alone.

鈥淚t鈥檚 still not enough for us to be self-sufficient; we have four sterilisers and thermal disinfectors and they use a lot of power,鈥� Dr Panjkov said. More solar panels will be installed in the future, to help achieve their goal of self-reliance.

The practice also gains energy efficiency through its insulated walls, double-glazed windows, LED lighting, solar hot water and judicious use of heating and cooling systems in conjunction with closing window blinds against summer heat, or opening them on cooler days.

They have even installed an electric car charger so that patients with Teslas can charge their cars while visiting the practice.

Water efficiency

Beaconsfield Dental has water tanks with 17,000 litres of capacity, used for toilet flushing and garden irrigation. Having installed a meter to track water usage, they were delighted to learn that they鈥檇 saved 40,000 litres of water within a seven-month period.

Their garden is filled with indigenous plants local to the area, which are drought tolerant and attract native fauna. The plants are sustained with a carefully managed irrigation system, along with mulch from their four compost bins filled with plant and vegetable matter generated within the business.

Dr Panjkov with the water tanks, painted with Victoria鈥檚 flora and flora emblems including the听Leadbeater鈥檚 Possum and听Pink Heath.

Old becomes new

Patients are encouraged to bring in their old toothbrushes, as well as empty toothpaste and floss containers to be recycled by Colgate. But it鈥檚 not just patient waste that is recycled听鈥� everything that can be repurposed is saved by the business. Shredded paper is taken to the local pet shop for use as bedding or placed in the compost bins, while amalgam waste, batteries, printer cartridges and old computer products are collected and dropped off at recycling collection points.

Wherever possible, biodegradable and environmentally friendly products are sourced, such as patient cups and bibs, suction tips and cleaning products.

Customers drop their old toothbrushes and empty听toothpaste and dental floss containers off at the practice.

Waste awareness

The whole team at Beaconsfield Dental is on board with their environmental policy, understanding that sometimes it can be the simple things that contribute to sustainability, such as ensuring appliances and computers are in sleep mode when not in use, and turning off lights when leaving the room.

It鈥檚 not just the practice team who are on board 鈥� patients are impressed with the team鈥檚 sustainability program and regularly ask advice for their own schemes.

To those patients and healthcare practices wanting to take a leaf out of Beaconsfield Dental鈥檚 book, Panjkov鈥檚 advice is to start with solar panels and, if possible, to install water tanks. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e generating something from nothing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 do that, use biodegradable products and recycle everything and anything you can.鈥�

Top image: Robert and Lisa Panjkov outside of Beaconsfield Dental. All images 漏Beaconsfield Dental