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Funworld February 2012
With 16,000 species of animals, invertebrates, and fish living on its 710-acre site, the Toronto Zoo maintains a lot of buildings and land; uses a tremendous amount of electricity (11,000,000 kWh/year), natural gas, and water; and has to deal with literally tons of manure. To set a good environmental example—and to reduce some of its costs—the zoo embarked on a series of ambitious green initiatives. “We know that climate change is having a dramatic impact on reducing biodiversity,” says Nia Gibson, the zoo’s coordinator of education for sustainable development projects. “This is why we are aiming to reduce our 1990 carbon dioxide footprint by 95 percent by 2027.” To achieve these goals, the Toronto Zoo has already installed “green roofs” on its Australasia and Tundra pavilions. These structures combine waterproof membranes with drainage systems topped by soil and living plant matter. The system provides extra insulation—meaning less heat is needed in winter and less air conditioning in summer—consumes CO2, and reduces rainfall runoff.
“One of our 103-passenger Zoomobile trains is electric, with some of its power coming from solar panels mounted on the four carriages,” Gibson tells Funworld. “We also have electric golf karts, electric passenger vans, and a large electric truck that hauls garbage in the summer and salts the roads in the winter.” The Toronto Zoo is also testing two Ice Bear cooling units. These ice makers save money by working overnight when electric rates are at their lowest. During the day, the melting ice cools the Caribou Café—with the ice makers shut off. Currently the zoo collects its animal waste for compost, which is spread on its sprawling natural grounds. However, there’s a project in the works to use this waste to generate “biogas.” According to the zoo’s estimates, there’s enough manure being produced to power a planned 500 kW biogas generating station. That’s a lot of methane! Meanwhile, the treated waste can still be used as compost—albeit in a less aromatic form. To cut its water usage (enough to fill 136 Olympic swimming pools annually), the zoo installed low-flow toilets, reduced the pressure on its outdoor hoses, and is improving the filters on its aquaria to allow for less maintenance without compromising water quality.
“It is vitally important for an organization like the Toronto Zoo to lead the way in dealing with climate change and green practices,” says Gibson. “It is also good for our bottom line, which is particularly important in today’s economic climate.” To that end, the best news is that it is possible for zoos to be “green” and to save “green” at the same time. As energy costs continue to climb, the kinds of green technology being used at the Toronto Zoo may prove to be economic necessities for animal parks large and small. After all, the manure is already paid for: It might as well be used to generate electricity! James Careless is a freelance writer who has spent a lot of ‘business time’ at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and Canada’s Wonderland.
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The zoo added solar panels and geothermal heat pumps to some of its facilities. The resulting free electricity and warmth (the ground’s temperature never drops below 55 degrees, and this heat can be extracted by fluid-filled pipes running beneath the soil’s surface), cuts the utility bill and lowers the consumption of fossil fuels. 
Finally, the zoo launched an ambitious cellphone recycling program called “Phone Apes.” The money raised by selling the donated cell phones is directed toward saving African ape habitat; by recycling these phones, fewer materials are mined from the areas of Africa where apes live. To date, more than 15,000 phones have been collected and about $10,000 raised for gorilla conservation.