Current Projects
Here are just a few of the many endeavors in the name of sustainability underway at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium!
Poo at the Zoo - Composting
Our animals create more than 5 tons of waste every day of the year. We take the manure, bedding, and food scraps to a commercial composting facility, where some of it becomes soil compost for gardens and flower beds at the Zoo. Our guests can even purchase a bag of the Zoo Brew compost at the Zoo Marketplace gift shop to help nourish their gardens at home!
Visitors at the Mapori Restaurant in the Heart of Africa can help the Zoo in composting by separating compostable items from recyclables!
Reducing Our Energy Footprint
The Zoo takes steps to reduce our energy footprint wherever possible. A few of the ways we do this are:
Solar Energy
At the Columbus Zoo, we have two solar arrays. Located in our Polar Frontier region, the 308-panel system provides solar energy to the Saltwater Life Support System (LSS). The second array is located on the roof of the Suzie Edwards Conservation Education Classrooms building. These 165 solar panels help reduce energy use for this building. These arrays will help the Zoo continue to benefit from the generated clean energy for many years!
Lighting Upgrades. We continue to replace traditional light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs, including in the historic 1914 Mangels-Illions Grand Carousel. Energy-efficient bulbs reduce emissions and provide cost savings.
LED Lights for Wildlights. Thanks to the generous support of AEP Ohio, we have converted 3 million conventional holiday lights to LED lights. LED lights use only a tiny amount of the energy traditional lights use, and they last up to 200,000 hours instead of the 26,000 hours of conventional lights. They also stay cooler than traditional lights, making them a safer choice. When strands of light break, we recycle them through Goodwill Columbus.
Smart Lighting. An upgrade in lighting for the Zoo's warehouse and the giraffe and hoofstock barns in Heart of Africa help save us energy and money! Ciaralights© are, simply put, massive skylights that use a mirror panel to capture the maximum amount of sunlight before channeling a diffusor panel. The mirror uses a GPS-enabled motor to track the sun all day.
Green Restaurant Certification
Three restaurants at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium--Mapori Restaurant, Lakeside Grill, and Shores Park Cafe--are certified as Green Restaurants by the Green Restaurant Association! These restaurants meet science-based certification standards in environmental sustainability.
My House/Character Cottage - Building Green
When you visit My House in our North America region, you get more than a trip through Ohio’s habitats. You can learn about green buildings and why they’re important! My House’s exterior walls were made from a technique we learned from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio. We mixed polystyrene lunch trays from schools with concrete. Other green materials include shingles made from recycled vinyl and fiber, reclaimed fiber and concrete siding, and indoor floors and play surfaces made from reclaimed tires. Our chairs, rain barrels, and compost bins are made of recycled plastic and barn timbers salvaged from other barns. A windmill aerates the pond, and solar roof panels power electricity.
Recycling
Recycling keeps trash out of landfills and saves the energy needed to make products from raw materials. We think it’s a significant conservation effort, so we practice it daily. We recycle everything we can at the Zoo from traditional items like paper, glass, plastic bottles, and printer cartridges to cell phones and batteries, and even more.
Polar Frontier went Geothermal
Polar bears are facing big threats to their Arctic home as a result of climate change. When we built our beautiful Polar Frontier region, finding a way to provide heating and cooling while also curbing our emissions was the right thing to do. We installed a geothermal system that heats and cools the buildings.
The geothermal system didn’t just help Polar Frontier. We took it a step further by reconfiguring our water treatment facility to work on a geothermal system. When we built Heart of Africa, we tapped into the existing geothermal system to provide renewable heating and cooling energy for the Mapori Restaurant system.
Awards and Certifications
We are proud of our sustainability work and the recognition it has received.
- Mapori Restaurant. When we planned this venue, we planned it to meet LEED Certification and the GRA standards. It was a first for design at the Columbus Zoo.
- Ohio EPA. The Columbus Zoo was awarded a Platinum Level E3 award in 2017 by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. This program recognizes organizations going above and beyond to comply with requirements and demonstrate environmental excellence. To reach the platinum level, organizations must expand their programs beyond their facility to impact their community.
- Columbus Greenspot. To become a Columbus Greenspot, the Zoo committed to reducing its waste and recycling. We also strived to reduce energy use and conserve water. We track our progress and submit an annual report. The Zoo was honored as a 2014 GreenSpotLight Award Winner, recognizing the excellence in business practices which led to environmental benefits.
Inspiring a Green Movement
Since 2018, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, with zoo and aquarium partners, led the Plastic Free Ecochallenge. During this international, month-long initiative, participants earn points by reducing their use of single-use plastic items. Each year, our Zoo coordinates the event, and we are pleased with the collective impact we are making. Fun fact: In 2021, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium became the first zoo to introduce Ball aluminum cups as an alternative to single-use plastic pilsner cups on Zoo grounds. Aluminum water bottles were also added in Adventure Cove and Polar Frontier regions of the Zoo.
Be sure to visit our Everyday Actions page to get involved in the Plastic Free Ecochallenge, too!