We are beyond excited to introduce you all to our 2023 Green Leader:
Erika Pusillo, DAADOM, Practice Optimizer at Spodak Dental Group in Delray Beach, Florida!
Creating an environmentally-friendly culture and mindset within your dental practice has an impact that reaches far beyond the physical walls of the office. Made possible by a grant from the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, AADOM created this award as part of its Green Leader Initiative, which aims to empower practice managers to reduce their practices’ environmental footprint and lead their teams in becoming part of dentistry’s green future.
Environmentally-friendly “green” tips for your dental practice
Throughout the year, we’ll update this post with Erika’s top tips for your dental practice, with the newest at the top:
Tip 1: Save the Trees!
Create reusable router cards. Many offices print router cards to organize and communicate to their teams regarding patient appointments, upcoming birthdays, doctor exams needed, balances due and more. Instead of printing the router cards each day, create a template and laminate it. Use a dry-erase marker for notes. These make GREAT patient handoff forms from hygiene to treatment coordinators. Make sure there’s a spot for recommended treatment. Our docs collect these cards at the end of the day and use them to write their clinical notes.
Tip 2: Make Green simple!
The easier you make your green efforts the easier they are to follow through. For example, place recycling bins next to trash bins in the break room. When your team has a green option right next to the traditional choice, they can make better decisions without the added time. In this example, they will be more likely to recycle instead of throwing recycled goods away.
Tip 3: Be an example for your community.
We focus a lot of time educating our patients about dentistry. How many of them know how you are going green? Trust me, patients LOVE supporting businesses that support good causes. If you have a TV screen in the lobby, have a photo or two of your team planting trees, cleaning up a beach, recycling dental goods and more. Highlight or feature green products that you use or even give patients tips and tricks on how they can go green at home.
Tip 4: Select green dental products whenever possible.
We all have a choice when it comes to the dental products we use in our practices. Supply companies are providing more and more green options. Meet with your supply rep to review the green products available to you.
Check out the following products:
Woo Bamboo for biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes (yes they can be branded). Eco Products for compostable “plastic” cups. They’re derived from soybeans, how cool?
Tip 5: Buying in bulk saves you money and the planet!
Buy your products in bulk over single-use varieties. We review our supply and inventory at the start of each year. As a part of this strategy, we review how to save money (and time) while reducing waste.
When products that don’t have an expiration or have long shelf lives are bought in bulk, they come in large containers with smaller, refillable containers. Single-use supplies are convenient because you don’t have to sanitize after each use, but they add additional waste to our landfills. Bulk is better.
Tip 6: Upgrade your patient amenities and go green.
Who has a beverage station in your lobby? Hands raised. 🙋 Instead of providing bottled water, opt for a water refill station. Amazon has many elegant options for as low as $29. Upgrade the experience by adding fresh slices of lemon or cucumber for a truly refreshing drink. Be sure to provide compostable cups or reusable glasses to reduce plastic waste.
Tip 7: Technology cuts waste and adds efficiency.
There’s no denying that we are more and more dependent on technology. Adding tools like digital notebooks (Remarkable is great), dry erase boards for meeting minutes and iWatches instead of sticky notes will cut down your paper consumption and add time to your day. I love how technology solutions improve communication, omit the need for paper but are also so much more versatile and accessible. I especially love using Apple products that automatically share my notes or reminders between devices. Talk about convenience!
Tip 8: Saving the planet can save your practice money.
Choosing energy-efficient products like LED light bulbs will reduce utility expenses. Faucets with sensors will conserve water and reduce your water bill. Amazon to the rescue again! A typical motion sensor faucet costs around $50.
In addition to water and electric savings, the government has various tax incentives and tax breaks for purchasing products that support the green initiative. Solar panels, insulated windows and energy efficient appliance upgrades may be available in your state through government grants or low interest finance options. Reach out to your CPA for details on how you can take advantage of environmental opportunities.
Tip 9: No budget? No problem!
Not all practices have extra wiggle room in the budget to make changes. That’s when thinking outside of the box comes in handy! Join a local group to support their green initiatives like a park or beach clean up. Many of these organizations are in need of extra hands. The added perk is that the time away from your office, spent with your team by volunteering, actually brings you closer together. Talk about a great way to give back and boost your office culture!
Tip 10: Digital Communication is the Standard in Business.
The number one modality to receive information is through digital technology. And rightfully so. It’s convenient, fast and cost effective. The fact is our patients prefer text over phone calls and they prefer emails over traditional mail. With automated confirmations and appointment reminders, this technology cuts down on the time it takes our team to manage our schedule.
We have so many options when it comes to companies providing these digital communications to our patients. My favorite is Modento. If you’re in need of a good solution for your Practice, the AADOM conference gives you the chance to meet nearly all of them. It’s like speed dating business partners for dental geeks. 🤓
Tip 11: Go Green by Planting Green.
How fun would it be to have a community garden right outside your practice? If you have the space, why not? The extra greenery not only looks beautiful but can provide fresh fruits and veggies to your team.
Got mosquitos? Plant rosemary to repel them and then add some fresh rosemary to your water dispenser. Fresh cut strawberries and rosemary is my favorite water infused flavor.
Tip 12: Consider Donations Over Gifts.
Does anyone offer gifts to patients for referrals, birthdays, or special occasions? Consider adding the option to donate to charity over the gift. We do patient referral raffles and one of the raffle “gifts” is a donation to a charity of their choice in their name. So many of our patients choose this option. For our doctors, it’s harder to find gifts with meaning. Instead of a work anniversary gift, we donate $100 for every year worked to a charity of their choice.
Meet AADOM’s 2023 Green Leader!
What is your definition of a Green Leader?
A Green leader is someone who recognizes that we have a choice to conserve and preserve our natural resources. “Green” leadership starts by choosing more environmentally friendly alternatives to supplies, equipment and technology that not only improves our patient’s experience but improves our efforts in saving our planet.
How does your team support your efforts?
Team support comes from having alignment around a set of core values. Our core values were created by our team to define who we are and why we do what we do (our purpose). Our values are what set us apart and this is why we “C.L.I.C” so well:
Create a “WOW” experience for ourselves and our patients Lead with authenticity and integrity Inspire each other to achieve remarkable results Cultivate community by providing support and positive communication
Our values support our GREEN initiatives.
What is your favorite GREEN thing to do?
I’m passionate about problem solving! I love finding ways that we can minimize consumption and reduce waste. For example, for special occasions and celebrations we buy gifts for our team that have purpose like reusable water bottles. We have gifted iPads/Remarkable tablets for sustainable note writing, reducing the use of paper.
How does your work/green mindset carry over to your own home/life?
I enjoy being an example for my family, a good wife and a good mother just as I aspire to be a good example for my team. My family participates in the events our Practice hosts. It brings me joy to see my son realize that he can make a difference at 12 years old by picking up trash, planting trees, preserving spaces that support wildlife and by recycling.
As the 2023 Green Leader, what would you like to share with practice owners about how their leadership can impact the environmental impact at their practices?
Leadership has so many definitions and for me, I believe leading is another word for making a difference. Small changes lead to big results. My advice is to take 5 minutes at your next team meeting and ask for ideas on how your Practice can reduce more waste or recycle. Your team’s input leads to more excitement about the cause and ultimately creates more buy-in.
If internal changes to the way you do business aren’t possible, how could your Practice support an organization that supports the green initiative? For example, could you join a group to plant trees, build a community garden, clean up your beaches or local parks? Could you support a cause or organization that finds ways to reuse or utilize recycled goods to make new goods?
Small changes are done with small actions – choose ONE thing to implement and get started today! ????
About Erika
Erika Pusillo is the Practice Optimizer at Spodak Dental Group in Delray Beach, Florida. She began her dental career in 2009 as a dental assistant in sterilization. One of her favorite quotes by Tony Robbins, “the only impossible journey is the one you never begin,” inspired her to pursue larger, seemingly impossible dreams. Now she leads a team of 50 in a single location, multi-specialty, state-of-the-art practice. Erika has a passion for reading, learning and mentoring. She earned her DAADOM distinction in 2022 and has her sights set to speak at a future AADOM conference.
Erika has a giving heart. She coordinates and participates with several volunteer events with her team which include:
Community Greening Tree Planting
Beach Clean Up
Alzheimer’s and Breast Cancer 5k Walk/Run
Boynton Beach Angels Food Drive
Toys for Tots
Freedom Day USA (Free dental care to active military and their families)
Emergency Dental Day (Free emergency dentistry)
All Star Smiles (Free dentistry to underserved children)
Erika is a wife and mother to a twelve year old boy. She enjoys doing projects, cooking, reading and spending time with her family.
About the AADOM Green Leader Initiative:
The AADOM Green Leader Initiative empowers dental practice leaders to adopt greener practices in the dental office. The initiative aims to engage members to reduce the environmental impact of “business as usual” dentistry and to show how there are real bottom-line benefits to implementing specific changes that will result in reducing waste and using environmentally friendly products.
This initiative is made possible through a generous grant from the Henry Schein Cares Foundation.
Are you our next Green Leader?
Criteria to nominate the 2025 Green Leader:
Use of Green Products in the practice Use of Green Practices Current AADOM member and Office Manager Must be present at the 2025 AADOM Conference Environmental mindset around your dental practice Sets example for his/her dental team
Nominations for our 2024 Green Leader are now closed. Stay tuned to learn how to nominate our 2025 Green Leader!