Hello Anthony Chadwick from the webinar bets. Very fortunate today to have Camilla Edwards on the line. Camilla's a Copenhagen graduate, worked in emergency medicine for a number of years in the Cambridge area.
Got fascinated with ultrasound, so spent a lot of time at the Animal Health Trust learning more about that, and he's now actually doing peripatetic ultrasonography in the sort of Cambridge at Norfolk area. We, we, I think we met for the first time, although I think we've been Facebook and LinkedIn buddies for a while at London Vet Show, didn't we? And it was obviously great to see everybody back there.
But I was also particularly fascinated by, we, we saw a company called Butterfly that are are doing this new sort of technology for ultrasound, you must have enjoyed going onto that stand and seeing what they're up to. Yes, absolutely. Thanks for having me on here, Antony.
Yeah, it was great to meet you, finally, in person, and, and, and many other people at London Vet Show. And yeah, but butterfly was, is a really interesting new development in, in ultrasound, in that they don't use piezoelectric crystals like the rest of ultrasonography does. They just use microchips.
So, they can get a whole lot more out of one probe than any other ultrasound machine can. So it's a really interesting new development, that definitely need to keep an eye on, because I think that's gonna eventually take over, traditional methods of ultrasound. Yeah, brilliant.
I mean, obviously this podcast series that we're doing is, is around COP 26. COP 26 has now happened. I, I do think that technology is gonna have a major impact and input into us sorting some of these problems out, which I think can be sorted.
I think individuals and business are probably more important than government, because governments by its nature will always move quite slowly as well. So it'd be really interesting, obviously also to talk about, you know, your personal journey. I know we, we were talking before and you said that as a family, you sat down a number of years ago to do an audit.
Of the house and, and your lifestyle and see some obvious easy wins. Do you want to talk a little bit about that? Yeah, so that was, trying to think how long ago it was, but, it was when Al Gore was, you know, doing his, his big programme about, climate change.
We, we sat down and did an, an audit of the house and really assessed where we could, change things. So we, for example, that's when we put in all the insulation in the house. We didn't have cavity wall insulation at that point.
And our loft insulation was pretty poor, so we changed all of that. . And then we also changed at that point, our, electricity and gas providers to more green, providers.
So, ecotricity, we, we went with them, we've, we've been with them for, for a long time now. And they, they build, lots of, new green, resources. So that, that was why we invested.
And, well, we feel like we've invested. We're, we're, Yeah, we, we've we've gone with them to provide our electricity and gas. And sometimes it's a little bit more expensive, obviously, because still, I think the subsidies favour the carbon, the oil and oil and gas in the production of, of energy, but it was really exciting again at COP 26 to see companies like Scottish Power.
They know all of their energy is produced by sustainable sources and, and they don't have actually any nuclear either, which I think is is really good. . But often it, you know, and I do the same, I go with good energy, you know, potentially a bit more expensive, but.
It's the right thing to do. It'll be lovely when we start to see that it's actually cheaper to do it this way, and obviously we need oil and gas as we transition, so we can't just suddenly stop everything, but you know, that, that choice is a huge choice isn't it, with gas and electric providers as well. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
So, certainly from, from the electricity point of view, I think we're. We're doing, we're producing a lot more green energy in this country, you know, we're having weeks over the summer where we're, we're just using, green energy, as a country. So that, that's great that, that things are shifting, in, in that direction.
But if we can promote companies that really push for that, by supporting them, by being customers, that, that's a really important decision as an individual to make. I know they were saying at the Scottish Power that 25% of our energy is now produced by wind, and if it's a very windy day it can go up to 50%. Obviously as a Dane yourself, .
I know Denmark leads the way in wind power as well, so it can get a bit windy up that neck of the woods, can't it? Absolutely. Yeah, well, you know, it's, difficult to, to go anywhere without seeing, a windmill in, in Denmark, a modern windmill.
They are everywhere, and, and particularly the big sea wind farms, they've, they've got lots of, lots of those. And, yeah, that's, that's been a feature of the Danish, countryside for a long time. I, I find, find it a bit funny when people say, oh, they're, they're ugly things, because I, I think they're quite beautiful.
And I think, you know, we're so used to these massive electricity pylons everywhere, that, I think, you know, in, in 100 years, we won't, they'll just blend into the, the background, like, like those do to us now. Yeah, brilliant. And I know you were a bit of a trailblazer at the time.
And using a, a smart or a not a smart metre, but it was a, a metre that you were able to hook up to your electrical supply and then work out what the difference was between, you know, boiling a full kettle and an empty kettle or 10 lights on or having no lights on. So those sort of machines are also very helpful and I know more and more people have now got, as I have just over the last year. A smart metre, which is fascinating, you know, looking at how much energy you're using.
I also have solar panels and on some days I'm not using any electricity at all, you know, during the afternoon, which is. Yeah. It's a good, it gives you a good fuzzy feeling.
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that, that was a, a little machine that, that you could buy and, and hook up to your electrics to, to measure, and then you could run and switch the kettle on and see how much it increased by. So.
That was really useful for just getting a feeling of, of what it means when you leave your lights on in, in the house, or when you, yeah, when you, when you boil a kettle that's full, rather than the just the one cup that you need. So, so that, that really, we, we learned a lot from doing that. I guess I, I do need to update that because we haven't got a smart metre yet.
And I'm, I'm really curious to know what my induction hob actually uses when I put that on, on high level, boil quickly. I, I really need to know what, whether that's using a lot of energy, because we didn't have that at that point. It's even.
I think it's, it's mindful living, isn't it? It's thinking what you're doing, how that impacts other people, and as we saw from COP 26 with the island nations, every little thing that we can do, you know, to save a few kilowatts here and there, if we all do it potentially has a massive impact, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah.
And it, and it, it is tricky because, you know, we're all living, living life and life, as you've said before, it's not black and white, it's grey. So it's about making shifts where you can, in the right direction. And for me, it's about, habits, you know, having a habit of, of taking, your own bags to the, the supermarket was, was a strange thing, you know, 10 years ago.
And now, now it's, much. Easier because, well, you have to pay for it, so that that's been encouraged. And now it's, now it's a normal habit.
But if we can just keep thinking, reassessing what habits we could add, that would be easy to add, you know, take, take the low hanging fruit first. And, and move, move in the right direction, and then just keep moving in that direction. That'll make a difference.
I think this is where government can make a big difference. I, I was talking to my wife this week and she said they're trying to ban plastic cutlery, which again is just a really sensible thing. And of course it was the government who brought in the 5p tax on plastic bags, which I think reduced the number of bags by 80, 90% didn't it?
It was a massive reduction and I was reading something where. Actually, now that they trawl the bottom of the ocean, they do this, they've actually found there's a lot less plastic at the bottom around the British Isles, so it's had a, you know, a fairly quick impact you know on the general environment, which is fantastic. You were talking about food there and I, you know, I absolutely agree with plastic bags, you know, obviously also.
Packaging as well, it's, I, I shop at the Co op a little bit and it's great to see them now. The croissants are in a cardboard box, there's still a little film over them, you know, we've got to make progress slowly but surely, but it's not in a plastic thing, it's in a cardboard one which obviously recycles so much easier, doesn't it? Yeah.
Although I did, I did go into the shop the other day and, I actually took a picture of it because I was so astounded. There was a, a peeled boiled egg in a plastic container. And I just thought that.
Yeah. That, that was a really bad move, I felt. It, it comes in its own packaging.
Exactly. So, I mean, yeah, how frustrating is that? Yeah, yeah.
And that, that actually frustrated me over lockdown, where I, you know, as a, as a mom of 3 children, so I was shopping for, for 5 children, I'd be limited to a certain number of items that I would I have to, I, I couldn't buy, for example, 5 separate apples because that would take up 5 of my 85 items. So I would have to buy a bag of apples, which I would never have done previously. So, so that was pretty frustrating.
Backwards step. Well, also, we see all the plastic PPE that's been used during the pandemic, which is, you know, huge as well, isn't it? It's interesting I was speaking to somebody else who was saying, you know, more and more, how can we turn these into biodegradable substances that at least, you know, can be put somewhere and then biodegrade rather than, you know, be 500 years.
Yeah. I, I mean, I know, before we were talking about. You know, food and, and where we shop and things, and, and I think we both share a, a not a passion but an enjoyment for the gusto meals that come and, and that's again one of those black and white grey situations, isn't it?
I mean, what's your thoughts on, on that? So, well, A, they're brilliant, they taste lovely, and it feels like you're going out for a meal and that you're doing some really clever cooking. And it's not actually that difficult, but, but fantastically tasty meals.
But, yeah, I, there is probably more packaging with it than, than if you were buying it in the supermarket. Although, you know, a lot of the, a lot of the vegetables that come, come loose. So, so I think they do, do make a bit, make an effort with that.
But, but yeah, for, for me, there's, it massively reduces food wastage, because, I don't have to buy a, a whole pot of spice that I'm not gonna use the rest of, or, even a, you know, a, a vegetable that I might only need a bit of, that's what they'll send me. So, so I feel like from, from, just from my family's point of view, there's a lot less food wastage. It'd be interesting to know as a company, how they're managing food waste, whether they have large amounts of food.
Yeah, no, that would be fascinating. I mean, it's, again, being a COP 26 for, when I was there, I was looking at the Sainsbury's store and they said something like 30% of food is. Is wasted and we've said, I absolutely agree with you, we've reduced our food wastage massively and it is, I remember my mum when I was growing up, if I didn't eat all my dinner, that's a sin that you've left that.
And in some ways it, you know, it is because there is enough food for everyone and yet we have people hungry, so I used to rather ashamedly say to her, well I'll package it off and send it off to wherever needs it, which was a bit unkind, but . I've matured a bit, I don't think I'd say that now anyway, and luckily it's not on Twitter anywhere, so I, I can't I brought back to er haunt me. So I, I think that's definitely an area which is.
Which is interesting because the number of times you've got 2 or 3 potatoes and you find them at the back of the cupboard and oh, we never ate them and you know, you've they've made a mess, you've got to throw them out. I, I am quite lucky in that my, my husband, is very good at at making a meal out of anything as well, that. Exactly.
I mean, it, it's, it's not always the most beautiful meal, but it's edible and it's, and it's, useful because it, it doesn't waste, the leftovers that I'm not inventive enough to, to figure out a meal from. So I, and I know again, you were saying, you're blessed with 3 children and. We, I was looking at one of the posts that Ecoopet made and it was something that also came up at at COP 26 about.
You know, use less stuff and keep stuff for longer. So we used to do it all the time and now we have some fashion producers that it's kind of wear the dress once and throw it away. Being able to hand down I think is and on pastor charity shops or whatever is and worthy yourself is, is really important, isn't it?
Yeah, well, we, we have a great community in our little village. You know, we, we hand down clothes. I mean, there's, there's not that much clothes that gets through.
All three of my children and they're still wearable. But, but yeah, we get a lot of hand me downs, through friends in the village to, to my eldest daughter, and then hand them, hand them all the way down. So, and anything left at the end, you know, goes to charity or to other people in the village.
So, yeah, try and, try and, and we had a bag at the weekend, actually. And, my, my eldest two just love going, going through it and, you know, get, getting their, their new clothes they're not new. I, I have to, say to, with, with a touch of shame that, I don't do a great deal of that.
And I think as you said at London Vet Show, you didn't realise I was quite that tall, so finding trousers to fit 6 ft 6 inch people. Can be difficult at the best of times, and sometimes I have to have them made. So it's, it's not one that I've particularly, looked at.
But I think that's the other thing, you know, sometimes people don't start doing anything because it's such a huge area that they become desperate and go into despair and say, well, I'm, I'm gonna blank it out and do nothing. Actually, whatever. We do in a positive way makes a difference, doesn't it?
Absolutely. Even those, those small steps. And, and probably most people are doing some things already that they can, you know, feel proud of and, and celebrate.
But, yeah, it's more about movement, isn't it? It's not staying still, trying to continually move and, and make improvements, as you go along. .
Just assessing assessing where you are, where you want to get to, and trying to make those changes. I know on, on the sustainability podcast, I always ask for a little tip at the end, and I know you showed me a a really interesting website before about banks which I've had a little look at, perhaps you could tell us a little bit about that and, and share the web address. So, actually, .
I first came across this because, I was in London over the summer, and there was, the Extinction Rebellion, protests going on. So, me and my kids, we had a little chat with, with them to see what, what, things they were suggesting as, as things that people can do. And, and one of the things they came up with was, thinking about what, who you bank with.
Which was not something I'd, I'd thought about before. But obviously, if you bank with, a bank, then you're effectively supporting them. They're, you, you're giving them money to look after and to, to use.
And a lot of the banks, are supporting fossil fuel industries. So really looking at, who, who you could bank with, and, who might be better for you to, to bank with. So, the, the website was bank.green, that you can look at and you can see how green your, your bank is, and if you're thinking of moving banks, how green that bank is.
So, so, it's a really useful tool. And I've just tested a few of these out as we, as we speak, and I know you've got your business bank with Metro, quite a new bank on the high street, and they actually score very well for Green, so you're obviously also walking your, your talk as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
My, my accountant wanted me to move to another bank, but that was less green, so I've, I've decided to stick for now with Metro. . I've really enjoyed the chat.
I think it's, it's great just to talk these things through. I get enthusiastic hearing what everybody else is doing as well. Together we can all achieve so much, can't we?
And I think this has been really helpful advice. I've already been using the bank one, there's some good things, some bad, some bad things amongst that, but yeah, I'll definitely go and. And study that a bit more, and obviously the other one, which I think is something we're really trying to encourage practises to look at is, you know, go for the green energy, get some solar panels on your roof if you can, a wildflower meadow or wildflower pots as people come in, you know, as vets, we have a great responsibility because I think people trust us and if they see, We as lovers of animals are also caring about the environment.
I think it can be a real encouragement for members of the public as well, can't it? Yeah, absolutely. I think that, that's really important, and, and, and possibly a future, area that we need to think about as well is, obviously, pet ownership has a, a footprint as well.
And, and perhaps looking at sustain more sustainable ways of feeding our pets, for example, might be an area that we need to look at. But yes, certainly, green energy is, is, an area we need to, to think about in our practises, absolutely. Camilly, you've given me another idea for a podcast.
So thank you for that, really appreciate your time. I know how busy you are and look forward to seeing you very soon. Take care, bye bye.
Thank you.
