Celebrating the 3 R’s

This month, Zoo Atlanta is celebrating all you can do to reduce, reuse, and recycle (the 3 R’s)! You can practice these when you visit Zoo Atlanta as well as in your own home. The more we alter our daily habits to be more ecofriendly, the greater the positive impact for wildlife and wild places, as well as for us humans!

Reducing can be one of the easiest ways to help wildlife and humans. Zoo Atlanta is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and has begun to install appliances, lights and fixtures that save electricity, water and money. Have you seen the low flow rate fixtures, both faucets and toilets, in the Zoo’s restrooms? In addition, the Zoo has begun to upgrade HVAC, lighting and appliances to conserve energy. To learn more about the Zoo’s efforts, check out our Zoo Atlanta Going Green page. You too can be a green conserver at home; go to the U.S. Green Building Council’s site for 9 ways to green your home.  

Reusing is another great way to have a positive impact on the environment. Zoo Atlanta has numerous bottle filling stations around the Zoo. Next time you visit, consider bringing your own water bottle and refilling it. In addition, when you visit our Zoo Atlanta Trading Company Gift Shop, bring your own reusable bag for your purchases, or for a small fee, you can purchase your own Zoo Atlanta reusable bag.  For more tips on how to reduce your plastic consumption by reusing, go here.

Zoo Atlanta is working to upgrade our recycling and you can help! Zoo Atlanta has recycling containers around the Zoo for the convenience of our guests. You can comingle your plastic, paper and aluminum cans in these containers. In addition, there is a map recycling station, conveniently located right next to the exit. We also are excited to share that we have recycling that directly supports some of our conservation initiatives! Bring your old cell phones and recycle them in the Ford Willie B. Gorilla Conservation Center, as part of the Gorillas on the Line Program, which supports conservation of gorillas in the wild. 

When at home, remember recycling can be as easy as two cans, instead of one. Most communities have single stream recycling; this means that all the items they accept can be put in the same can, comingled! Make sure to check with your local municipality about what is accepted so you can keep the recycling from getting contaminated. In addition, check with your local municipalities for special recycling events for electronics and other hard-to-recycle items. Zoo Atlanta was thrilled earlier this year to be the local host of Super Bowl LIII Recycling Rally, where 42,446 pounds of E-Waste was recycled.

We hope you will join the Zoo in celebrating the three R’s this month by continuing to do the good work you are doing as well as trying something new. For even more ideas on how to go green visit Zoo Atlanta’s Go Green webpage.