Water Conservation

• The Steller Cove exhibit utilizes closed filtration systems so the holding areas do not need to be dumped and refilled.
  

• Older exhibits that rely on a constant flow of fresh water, such as the penguin exhibit, are being evaluated for conversion to a filtration system to prevent daily water waste. We have hired an aquatic technician to help with this task.

• As old toilet flushing valves break, they are being replaced with newer 'two option' flushers, that use less water when the lever is lifted, and more water when the lever is pushed down.

Energy Efficiency

• Sub-meters have been installed throughout the zoo to determine where the consumption of water, natural gas and electricity is low and where it needs to improve.

• Timers and sensors have been installed in service areas and we switched to compact fluorescent lights to help lower our energy usage.

• We also started a “Power Down” campaign in our administrative buildings. The reminders are simple but effective: stickers that say “Power Down” on light switches in areas with infrequent use, like bathrooms, that remind people to shut off the lights when they are done.

• Also, our administrative computers have been placed on an automatic shutoff system, so that they are on only during business hours.

Recycling

• There are several recycling stations on grounds for visitors, and most work areas have their own recycling stations as well.

• Sure, we recycle paper, aluminum, glass, cardboard and some plastics, but we also recycle construction waste, computer and copier cartridges, kitchen cooking oil, electronics, polystyrene, bubble wrap and yard debris.

• About 65% of our paper is put back into the recycle loop thanks to our recycling campaign.

Composting

• We have built an onsite manure composting system to turn 100% of our herbivore manure into useable compost. The two 1,600 square foot covered areas have been subdivided into four mini-bays, three of which have a new trench-style design and a forced airflow system to maintain an EPA-standard composting environment.
  

• The finished product, ZooDoo, is used as fertilizer by our horticulture staff. The remainder is shared with the zoo’s neighboring agencies such as Hoyt Arboretum and Washington Park.

Waste Reduction

• We strive to have a "paperless office,” where anything that is generated on a computer stays on computers and doesn't get printed out. We have converted many of our forms to versions that are generated, transmitted and stored electronically.

• We have a program to discourage vendors from using wasteful packaging.

• We encourage school group visitors to pack low-waste lunches to help reduce the amount of refuse going to landfills.

Transportation

• With a MAX light rail station right to the zoo entrance, staff and visitors alike are encouraged to use alternative transportation.

• Many employees leave their cars at home and commute by train. Visitors get a $1 discount if they show proof of using the bus or MAX for their zoo visit.

• To encourage alternative commuting, employees can have a parking space only four days a week. On their 5th work day, they can carpool, bike, come by bus or telecommute.

• We try to limit the amount of driving for zoo business as well. Most of the vehicles you see around grounds are small, lightweight and fuel-efficient. A few of our carts are electric-powered.

Restaurant Operations

• We serve our visitors coffee that is 100% shade grown. This is important because trees shading the coffee plants provide habitat for many migratory birds. Their survival is impossible in areas where coffee is grown without shade.

• We have switched to reusable cups and flatware at the Cascade Grill to help reduce our solid waste.

• Our chef serves ecologically sustainable food products, like Painted Hills Natural Beef and wild salmon, in the restaurant and for catered events.

• The restaurants diverted 45 tons of food waste from landfills in 2005 by participating in a composting program, and expect to have nearly twice as much for 2006.

• 100% Compostable Picnics

The zoo's 100 percent compostable picnics with biodegradable plates and utensils give guests a chance to enjoy their event while helping the environment. The zoo's premise is to utilize large scale food waste composting using new technologies and programs. Spearheaded by the city's Office of Sustainable Development, the Portland Composts program encourages businesses to separate food wastes from garbage; the zoo has already been doing so in its restaurants.

The 100 percent compostable picnic takes this process one step further, by using only compostable service items at the zoo's outdoor picnics. With the use of corn starch "plastic" flatware and paper plates, nearly everything served at the zoo can be composted. Most of the trash generated comes from visitors that bring it with them.

In high temperature composting, bio-plastics completely biodegrade in 50 days, which is an obvious improvement over the one-million years it could take for traditional plastics to break down in a landfill. The bio-plastics, supplied by Cereplast of San Francisco, have the added benefit of requiring fewer fossil fuels than traditional plastics.

Food waste collected at the zoo is sent to the Cedar Grove composting facility, where it is mixed in proper proportions with yard debris, water and air -- resulting in nutrient rich compost. The compost can then be used as a soil amendment for gardening and landscaping.

The earth-friendly cups and flatware are part of the zoo's ongoing conservation and sustainability efforts. Out of the 2.4 million pounds of waste the zoo generated last year, over 1.5 million of it was diverted from the waste stream through recycling or composting. Compared with the national rate of 30 percent and the statewide rate of 52 percent, the zoo recycles or reuses 65 percent of its waste.

Outreach

One of the big improvements in our environmental impact has been in the education of staff. We can have the best policies in the world, but if they are too difficult to follow, or if only a handful of staff knows what the policies are, it doesn't help the environment much. There are approximately 150 permanent employees at the zoo. Making sure everyone understands our policies and knows what they can do to help us reach our environmental goals can have a great impact.

Construction

Our Discover Birds show animals are housed in a PGE/Earth Smart structure, built in 1998. The Oregon Zoo, Portland General Electric and private donations funded the construction.

Earth Smart design features include:
    •     Recycled material content in walls, floors, and windows
    •     Energy-efficient heating and cooling systems
    •     Lead-free paints on interior and exterior surfaces
    •     Energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting and natural-light skylights

New construction at the zoo has to meet our contractor bid specifications, which contain well-defined environmental controls and a construction waste management plans to limit its impact on the environment.

Through a recent EPA grant, the Zoo's parking lot has been modified to catch storm runoff in bio-swales. This reduces our negative impact on storm caused sewage overflows into the Willamette River, as well as providing biological processing of automotive wastes that accumulate on pavement.