What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to discover where your practice lands on the Green Continuum. A short survey, created by the  Eco-Dentistry Association allows you  see how your practice stacks up against your colleague’s practices and be entered automatically to win one free ticket to the Green Dentistry Conference.

Ina Pockrass, a visionary leader of the green dentistry movement, co-created the country’s first green dental office in 2003 and co-founded the Eco-Dentistry Association in 2008. As guest blogger of the month at dentalez.com she says, “Practicing in an Earth-friendly way is a journey, not a destination.  So, whether your dental practice is light green and just getting started with a recycling program, or a dark green, fully digital high-tech practice, we invite you to take time this Earth Month to celebrate your initiatives.”

If any of the many environmentally conscious aspects of Creekwood Dental Arts in Waco, Texas, (shown) sparks a “conservation conversation” among patients, Dr. Donna Miller and her staff feel like they’ve done their job.

“Preservation is simply a way of life,” says Dr. Miller, a general practitioner in Waco for 28 years. “We preserve, restore and improve our patients’ dental health, and that’s the same way we approach the world.”

Recipient of a 2014 Incisal Edge Design Award for Best Green Initiative, Dr. Miller shares four tips for Green practice design:

1. GREEN DENTAL PRACTICES NEED TO BE FUNCTIONAL. Your equipment specialist should work in tandem with your architect, HVAC engineer and contractors every step of the way.

2. GET DESIGN INPUT FROM YOUR LONG-TERM EMPLOYEES. Hygienists, assistants and front-office staff are all likely to have good suggestions.

3. VISIT OTHER OFFICES, both dental and non-dental, to get ideas.

4. ATTEND DENTAL-DESIGN SEMINARS. They’re a great source of ideas, tips and tactics you might not otherwise have thought of.

Read more about Dr. Miller’s inspiring efforts HERE.