INSIDE MONROE STREET Family Dentistry in Madison, Wisconsin, the environmentally friendly touches aren’t necessarily evident at first glance. And that’s exactly what Dr. Benjamin Farrow, DDS, FAGD, and his team of seven intend. “The green doesn’t show up as a dramatic design element,” says Dr. Farrow, 38. “Our goal is that when you walk in, it feels like a home.”

The good doctor practices (literally) what he preaches in this famously progressive college town; Monroe Street Family Dentistry is located along
a bike path and a bus route, and is just two blocks from Dr. Farrow’s home. “I get in a car [just] four times a week,” he says.

His commitment to sustainability started early; his parents (his father is a dentist who has been in practice 40 years) instilled a “waste not”
sense in him from a young age. Implementing environmentally friendly measures was therefore a priority for Dr. Farrow when he began designing
his 1,600-square-foot space in 2009. “With each equipment purchase, [we asked] ‘Is it better to buy something refurbished, better to buy less of
something?’ ” he says. “We looked at what could be kept and what could be redone, reused and repurposed.”

Those subtle touches emerge gradually as you move through the space: sustainable flooring, recycled carpet, low-toxin adhesives and paints, plus reclaimed pillars, doors and furniture. (Even the practice’s toothbrushes are made from recycled yogurt containers.)

Dr. Farrow, a member of the national Eco Dentistry Association, urges his fellow practitioners to self-audit their offices’ sustainability for a variety of reasons: moral, practical and financial alike. “Look at what you throw away. You don’t need to build a new office to do it. Look at what you waste and what you throw away, because patients do — patients notice,” he says. “They’re expecting it of us.”

DR. BENJAMIN FARROW’S COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT BEGAN EARLY — AND HE ENCOURAGES ALL FELLOW DENTISTS TO JOIN THE CAUSE.

RIGHTEOUS FLOW: Efficient faucets and toilets save the practice 16,500 gallons a year; (top) a friendly reminder to be cognizant of water waste.

RIGHTEOUS FLOW: Efficient faucets
and toilets save the practice 16,500
gallons a year; (top) a friendly reminder
to be cognizant of water waste.