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New Patients: (512) 863-0468
Current Patients: (512) 863-6888
3613 Williams Dr, STE 1001, Georgetown, TX 78628
Green Fern Plant Cradled In Hands - Trade Winds Dental

Going Green at Trade Winds Dental

added on: June 25, 2010


Did you know Trade Winds Dental has been taking steps towards becoming a green dental office for a number of years now?

Dr. Hennington and his wife, Xenia, have been reducing, reusing and recycling personally in their home since the early 1990s. They have been using natural cleaning products, gardening organically and eating organically since the late 90s. When they remodeled their 1940s home in 2004, they used green building techniques before going green became a buzz word. They found such value in conserving the earth’s resources and reducing waste they decided to reflect their personal endeavors in the dental office as well. Dr. Hennington began recycling cardboard, shredded paper, magazines, as well as, other recyclable materials produced by the dental office since the late 90s. He’d have his trunk loaded up with recyclables and then off he’d go to deliver the materials to a recycling center in Georgetown on Industrial Boulevard until that facility closed. Undeterred, he then began taking the recyclables to Ecology Action in Austin, and still does so today – driving there in a hybrid car since 2002.

As the movement towards going green is becoming more widespread and commonplace, Trade Winds Dental is committed in continuing to find ways to incorporate more earth-conscious ideology into the dental practice.

In 2006, the old carpeting was replaced with Cool Carpet by InterfaceFLOR™ which mitigates the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the lifecycle of carpet products. The Cool Carpet program has been certified by the Climate Neutral Network that is an independent non-profit organization committed to developing products, services, and enterprises that eliminate their impact on the earth’s climate. As a result of this purchase, 1 ton of certified carbon dioxide credits have been permanently retired. For more information on InterfaceFLOR™, you can go to their website at http://www.interfaceflor.com/. When it was time to repaint the walls in the dental office, low VOC paints were used to minimize the impact on the environment. VOCs are unstable, carbon-containing compounds that readily vaporize into the air. When they enter the air, they react with other elements to produce ozone, which causes air pollution and a host of health issues including breathing problems, headache, burning, watery eyes and nausea. Some VOCs also have been linked to cancer, as well as kidney and liver damage [source: Chadderdon].

More recently, you will also find that all of our paper cups have been replaced with ecotainer® cups. “They meet the ASTM D6400 standard for compostability and are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute. ecotainer® products are also made from renewable resources including trees sourced from responsibly managed forests as certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative standard. Rather than using a petroleum-based liner, ecotainer® products are coated with a plant-based moisture barrier made from Ingeo by NatureWorks. Because of this unique lining, ecotainer® products can be commercially composted with food,” (quoted from www.javastock.com).
You may even begin to notice other gradual changes as Trade Winds Dental progresses towards a greener office.


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