Results matching “a green zoo series” from Green Home Authority

Part 3 of A Green Zoo Series by Erin Reilly: In the last 2 articles, I mentioned how the Denver Zoo is the only zoo in the United States with a Sustainable Management System. It is clear that the Denver Zoo has many ways in which they try to maintain a sustainable business. Another of the many ways they do this is through a program described as "answering the call of the wild".

Rather than throw an old cell phone away, guests are encouraged to donate their old cell phones to Denver Zoo, who has partnered with Eco-Cell to recycle and reuse old cell phones", the zoo website says in regard to the program.

Eco-cell is a premiere cell phone recycling program for anyone with an environmentally-minded fundraiser or program. According to the Eco-cell website, Eco-cell is aware that the United States is in an e-waste (or electronic waste) crisis. The program is highly focused on the environment, claiming they have a strict no landfill policy. They accept all cell phones and accessories.

The website (eco-cell.com) states that, "We [Eco-cell] designed a program that encourages organizations to collect all used cell phones and accessories, including batteries. We realized from the start that this approach would take away from our profits. However, we have always maintained that this endeavor is about a lot more than just collecting the 'profitable' used cell phones. It's about cleaning up and helping to save our environment. "

Many people have unused cell phones lying about their house. In fact, in 2005, it was estimated that there were over 500 million cell phones out of use in the United States. So why is this such a big deal? Well, cell phones contain a lot of hazardous substances that can have a negative impact on the environment. One of these hazardous materials is called coltan.

Coltan, according to Wikipedia, is the industrial name for columbite-tantalite, with is a metallic ore of a dull black color from which the elements niobium (formerly "columbium") and tantalum are extracted.

The Denver Zoo website states, "When refined, coltan becomes metallic tantalum, a heat resistant powder that can hold a high electrical charge. These properties make it a vital element in creating capacitors, the electronic elements that control flow inside miniature circuit boards. Tantalum capacitors are used in almost all cell phones, laptops, pagers and other electronic devices."

Where do the phones go after you donate them to the Denver Zoo? About 80% of them will be reused and refurbished by low income users in Latin America or by local programs such as battered women organizations. That 80% also includes senior citizens and other groups like the Sexual Assault Services Organization (SASO) located in Durango, CO. who use the phones for 911 emergencies. Unusable cell phones will be recycled under strict Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines by certified recyclers.

Want more reasons to recycle your phone at the Denver Zoo? The Denver Zoo website states that for each cell phone donated, Eco-Cell will donate $10. The funds raised will help the zoo provide world class care to all of its animal residents.

In addition, you will be helping wildlife in the Congo where a vast majority of coltan is mined. Currently, coltan is being mined illegally in protected lands across the Congo, which is endangering the local wildlife.

The next time you visit the Denver Zoo, consider answering the call of the wild by donating your unwanted or unused cell phone at the guest services desk.

Part 3 of the A Green Zoo Series by Erin Reilly: In part 2 of this series, I mentioned how each department of the Denver Zoo has a green team that is responsible for keeping their department as environmentally conscious as possible. Currently, I am an employee of the Denver Zoo's Kibongi Market Gift Shop. In this article, I felt it would be interesting to go into detail about what the gift shop does to be green and what might be applicable to similar institutions.

Last summer, the gift shop had a green competition to see which department of KM Concessions (the company I work for) could be the most green. The winner of this competition received $100 to spend in any way they liked. At the gift shop, we did several things to be green. These things included bringing our own water bottles to cutting back on the use of plastic cups, recycling the coffee grounds used in the café, using napkins made from recycled paper, using cups and spoons made from corn, limiting each employee to one plastic cup per day for drinks, and recycling cardboard and used batteries. In the end, our department was the greenest department.

Even though the competition ended, the gift shop did not stop doing all they could to be environmental conscious. We still do everything mentioned above and continually look for new ways to help the environment.

Since Earth Day is coming up, we decided to use our $100 to help out the community. On April 22nd, you will find Kibongi Market employees out cleaning up nearby City Park. We feel it is a great way to give back to the community and show that the Denver Zoo cares about the environment.

Part 2 of A Green Zoo Series by Erin Reilly: As mentioned in the previous article, the Denver Zoo is the first of its kind in the United States to have a Sustainable Management System. What is a Sustainable Management System? According to Wikipedia, this system "takes the concepts from sustainability and synthesizes them with the concepts of management".

Sustainability itself has three branches that include the environment, the needs of present and future generations, and the economy. Using these principles, sustainable management allows a system to run indefinitely without using up resources at a net loss. It also allows the system to maintain economic capability and fulfill the needs of present and future generations.

"Sustainable management has been created to be defined as the application of sustainable practices in the categories of businesses, agriculture, society, environment, and personal life by managing them in a way that will benefit [everyone for years to come]", Wikipedia states.:

The Denver Zoo Sustainable Management System is made up of several parts. One aspect is a new exhibit to be called Asian Tropics. Asian Tropics, according to the zoo's website, will be a ten acre space dedicated to elephant conservation. The site will include more than fifteen buildings and has been registered at the platinum level with the United States Green Building Council. The exhibit is scheduled to be completed by 2012.

Another way, according to the website, that the zoo is trying to be sustainable is by looking for opportunities to use its waste stream to generate energy for heat and power for the Asian Tropics site. With this system, the zoo will reduce the amount of waste going to landfills by 1.5 million pounds per year.

The website states, "[The] Denver Zoo's biomass gasification system will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world to convert a complex and diverse waste stream into a uniform, stable fuel on a consistent basis.Once complete, this system will serve as a model for such systems at other campus-like settings, from business and amusement parks to resorts, schools and small communities."

In addition to all of this, the Denver Zoo has hired a full time, permanent Sustainability Coordinator. This person is responsible for deciding which industries, products, and vendors will best support the zoo's mission to be as sustainable as possible. Perhaps the most important job for the Sustainability Coordinator is managing the Denver Zoo's Workplace Conservation Committee. This committee, or "green team" includes representatives from each department of the zoo who are responsible for coming up with strategies to keep every area of the zoo as green as possible.

In August 2008, the Denver Zoo was awarded acceptance into the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment's Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) as a Gold Leader.

Part 1 of A Green Zoo Series by Erin Reilly: The Denver Zoo is a great place to take your children and spend the day. Every little kid loves looking at exotic animals they may never get a chance to see otherwise. The babies are especially popular, and draw large crowds year round. The Denver Zoo is famous for such baby animals as the polar bears Klondike and Snow. Now, they are quickly becoming well known for being the first zoo in the United States to have a certified Sustainable Management System for all of their operations.

"As an organization dedicated to wildlife conservation, [the] Denver Zoo is trying to be as environmentally conscious as possible, in every facet of our organization. We're encouraging others to do the same. It's amazing how small changes can result in tremendous positive impact, especially when many people practice them over time," says Denver Zoo President/CEO Craig Piper on the Denver Zoo website (www.denverzoo.org).

One of the many ways that the Denver Zoo is working to be as environmentally conscious as possible, is by selling a product called Zoop. What is Zoop, you ask? Well, according to A1 Organics, Zoop is a 100% natural composted fertilizer and soil conditioner. It is made from Denver Zoo animal waste, and thus eliminates the zoo's need to dump the waste in landfills.

Each can of Zoop is three pounds and costs $9.99 at the Kibongi Market gift shop. As the A1 Organics website says, one scoop goes a long way, so a three pound container will last you a pretty long time. The Zoop itself is odorless and of high quality. It can be used for indoor or outdoor plants.

In order to market this product, the Denver Zoo brought in McClain Finlon Advertising. In an online article by Al Stewart that was published in Adweek, sales of Zoop increased significantly after McClain Finlon created a series of silly ads. One such ad, the article explains, shows a rear view of a zebra, an elephant, and a rhinoceros with a caption that reads "made fresh daily". One of the ads was featured on the show America's Funniest Animals on Animal Planet.

So, if you are interested in an earth friendly fertilizer for your garden this spring, come buy some Zoop from the Denver Zoo. Not only will you be helping the environment, but a large part of the proceeds from your purchase of Zoop goes to helping support the animals of the Denver Zoo who helped in the creation of this earth friendly product.