As an independent community pharmacy, you’re likely used to conducting outreach or programs that connect your business to your local community. But don’t forget that your pharmacy is part of a much bigger community too—the Earth!
Celebrating Earth Day on April 22 in your pharmacy doesn’t have to be a distraction from your usual mission of helping your patients, connecting with your community and boosting your pharmacy’s bottom line. Instead, you can celebrate Earth Day in ways that align with all of your pharmacy’s goals.
Use these ideas to help your patients, connect with your community and boost your pharmacy’s bottom line, all while celebrating Earth Day.
Helping the environment
Promote the collection of unused and unwanted drugs
Help the environment by preventing unused, unwanted and expired drugs from ending up in landfills or polluting the water by helping patients dispose of them properly.
On Earth Day, hand out flyers letting patients know when and where they can drop off these drugs around your community, such as at a local police station or at your pharmacy’s drug drop box.
If you don’t collect unwanted or unused drugs in your pharmacy, direct patients to places they can properly and safely dispose of their drugs. If patients don’t know what to do with expired and unwanted prescriptions, it’s likely that they’ll end up in the trash, or flushed down the drain, which can pollute the water.
Helping your community
Partner with local conservation organizations
Volunteer to help pick up trash with your staff on Earth Day, or conduct checkout charity to raise funds for a group that preserves habitats for local wildlife.
Hosting an event with these groups, raising funds to benefit them, or volunteering your time to protect the environment can connect your pharmacy to the community, and raise your pharmacy’s profile as an active charitable partner.
Consider doing a special promotion with a local environmental charity or conservation group on Earth Day. Or, think about making it a regular event at your pharmacy.
Helping your bottom line
Update to energy-efficient lighting
Celebrate Earth Day while also saving your pharmacy money by updating your old light fixtures and bulbs to more energy-efficient lighting.
Removing outdated, inefficient lighting and replacing it with LED bulbs can reduce your energy bills, and also brighten your store. Consider consulting a professional to help you maximize your budget, save money on day-to-day energy costs, and highlight key features of your store with your new lighting.
Updated lighting will also help make your front end more appealing and attractive, so more patients will be enticed to check out your store and browse your aisles.
Helping your community, the environment and your bottom line
Handout reusable containers
On Earth Day, hand out free reusable mugs or water bottles instead of Styrofoam or plastic cups at your pharmacy’s complimentary water and coffee station.
Disposable cups end up in landfills and pollute the environment, so on Earth Day, eliminate those products from your pharmacy. Instead, hand out free, reusable mugs or bottles. Your patients will appreciate the free gift, and you can brand the gifts with your pharmacy’s information, so your business stays on the top of patients’ minds.
This one simple promotion will simultaneously advertise your pharmacy, give your community a free gift, and help the environment by reducing waste.
Consider hosting these health-related celebrations at your pharmacy to bring in more traffic and promote your business.
