Green Paw is the inaugural VSA sustainability certification for veterinary clinics, recognizing teams that complete 10 evidence-based actions to reduce their environmental impact.

Any veterinary clinic in the United States or Canada—regardless of size, services, or resources—is welcome to participate.

Clinics can move through the 10 actions at their own pace. There is no deadline to complete the requirements.

Once awarded, Green Paw certification is valid for two years.

Each action is documented using a standardized form that your clinic fills out and uploads through the secure portal for review.

Green Paw is intentionally designed to be accessible for all clinics, including those with limited time, staff, or sustainability experience.

To apply, download the complete set of 10 Action Forms (available as a single ZIP file) and use them to document your clinic’s work. A brief overview of the required info follows:

• Action Form 1 – Start: Provide basic information about your clinic and Green Team.

• Action Form 2 – Discover: Describe how your team assessed your clinic’s environmental footprint and what you learned about resources to help your clinic on this sustainability journey.

• Action Form 3 – Design: Outline the five sustainability actions your clinic selected.

• Action Forms 4–8 – Implement: Provide detailed documentation for each of your five chosen actions (these forms are identical except for numbering).

• Action Form 9 – Share: Explain how your clinic communicated its sustainability efforts to staff, clients, and your broader community.

• Action Form 10 – Engage: List the Green Team members who have signed up for the VSA newsletter.

For Action Forms 2 and 4–8, you’ll also upload supporting materials. Please clearly label each supplemental file with your clinic name and the relevant action number (e.g., TheAnimalClinic_Action5.jpg).

When all forms and supporting documents are complete, click the “Upload and Pay” button. You’ll provide some basic demographic information, upload all materials in one submission, and then proceed to payment.

$100

Clinics receive access to guidance documents, templates, and examples, and can contact VSA for additional support as needed. Signing up for VSA newsletters and following us on Facebook will also help. 

Yes. Each clinic location completes the 10 actions independently but may share learning and resources across their organization.

Yes. Green Paw is the entry certification, and additional levels will be developed to support advanced sustainability efforts.

VSA reviews your documentation, may request clarification, and then issues certification along with a digital badge and recognition materials.

Yes. Academic veterinary hospitals are eligible to participate; however, due to their size, complexity, and multiple service units, we ask that certification be completed at the administrative or unit level. This ensures that all staff within the chosen unit can fully engage in the 10 required actions and contribute meaningfully to the certification process.