Denver Zoo Visits BioPark to Highlight Sustainability Efforts
Denver Zoo's poop-powered "Tuk Tuk" is a working prototype of a gasification system that utilizes animal waste and human trash to create clean energy. Photo courtesy of Denver Zoo.
On Friday, March 23, from 3-5 p.m., the ABQ BioPark welcomes Denver Zoo and their "Tuk Tuk," a working prototype of a gasification system that utilizes animal waste (poop!) and human trash to create clean energy. BioPark visitors can see the rickshaw-like vehicle, talk with sustainability experts from the Denver Zoo and visit a display about the BioPark's own sustainability efforts at the main plaza of the Aquarium/Botanic Garden.
The event is part of Denver Zoo's Tour de Tuk Tuk, a series of stops en route to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Green Summit on March 27 in Palm Desert, California. The ABQ BioPark will join leaders from accredited zoos and aquariums around the country to share sustainability efforts and find green business solutions at the summit.
"The BioPark is a wise steward of our environment," said Amy Landers, BioPark Marketing Coordinator and member of the facility's Green Team. "With innovative green business practices, we are saving money and educating our guests on ways to reduce their environmental impact to conserve resources for both people and animals."
Led by the AZA's Green Scientific Advisory Group, the second annual Green Summit will provide a series of workshops to help attendees find unique solutions to become more sustainable. At the Green Summit, Denver Zoo, the winner of AZA's first Green Award, will showcase the Tuk Tuk gasification prototype, which was created to test the technology planned for use in their new elephant exhibit. ABQ BioPark's energy efficiency upgrades and green waste composting efforts are examples of the growing sustainability movement within zoos and aquariums.
"We are so fortunate to work in such a collaborative field, where innovative ideas are shared. Ultimately, we must work together to ensure the wellbeing of animals around the world," said Denver Zoo President/CEO Craig Piper.
"AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are leaders in connecting their communities to nature," said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. "Together, they reach 179 million, with science-based messages on the value of sustainability."
The ABQ BioPark continues to implement sustainable practices including LED lighting retrofits, biodegradable tableware in our cafes, recycling, water-wise irrigation and filtration systems, fishing line recycling, and other projects. An Our Actions Matter theme can be found throughout the BioPark with the simple "how you can help" action statements found in signs and education programs.
