I had the privilege today to meet with Sarah Popp, the Detroit Zoo's manager of environmental sciences, to talk about the zoo's mission to significantly lessen its environmental impact, as well as "improve the green literacy" of the community.
Some things I learned from our conversation:
These are just facts about the current composting program, which began 4 years ago. Many businesses and organizations turn to environmental consulting firms for assistance, but the zoo took it a step further and hired a team of sustainability experts to transform the zoo from a burden on the environment to a steward. Popp, herself, has a Masters of Science in Natural Resource Policy, making her highly quality to handle the zoo's abundance of "resources". The past 4 years the team has accomplished a lot on their mission, including (but not limited to) solar and electric, instead of gas-powered golf carts and progressive recycling system that diverts items ranging from water bottles to ink jet cartridges from building up in landfills. The initiative continues to expand their outreach with educational programs and, the most exciting to me, they are in the works of purchasing an anaerobic digester for on-site composting. "We are working with the Albert Kahn Architecture Firm here in Detroit to design an anaerobic digester, which will hopefully be ready for use by the end of 2014". For more information, visit my post about Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Decomposition.
The Detroit Zoo is a great example of an organization taking on their responsibility to the Earth. If anyone understands the urgent need to limit our impact on the environment, it is the people who work with endangered animals, many of which are endangered because of loss of habitat or human pollution. Let the zoo be an example for other organizations and businesses to follow.
Some things I learned from our conversation:
- Both animal waste and landscaping waste
- Waste is sent to Detroit Dirt on Brother Nature Farms in Corktown where it is composted and sent to local urban farms
- The animals alone produce an estimated 480 tons of waste per year
- All of this is diverted from landfills
These are just facts about the current composting program, which began 4 years ago. Many businesses and organizations turn to environmental consulting firms for assistance, but the zoo took it a step further and hired a team of sustainability experts to transform the zoo from a burden on the environment to a steward. Popp, herself, has a Masters of Science in Natural Resource Policy, making her highly quality to handle the zoo's abundance of "resources". The past 4 years the team has accomplished a lot on their mission, including (but not limited to) solar and electric, instead of gas-powered golf carts and progressive recycling system that diverts items ranging from water bottles to ink jet cartridges from building up in landfills. The initiative continues to expand their outreach with educational programs and, the most exciting to me, they are in the works of purchasing an anaerobic digester for on-site composting. "We are working with the Albert Kahn Architecture Firm here in Detroit to design an anaerobic digester, which will hopefully be ready for use by the end of 2014". For more information, visit my post about Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Decomposition.
The Detroit Zoo is a great example of an organization taking on their responsibility to the Earth. If anyone understands the urgent need to limit our impact on the environment, it is the people who work with endangered animals, many of which are endangered because of loss of habitat or human pollution. Let the zoo be an example for other organizations and businesses to follow.
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