Lecture 8: Green Initiatives Flashcards
Conservation
Preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment and of wildlife
Sustainability
Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance
TZNet0 Plan
- sustainability plan
- have a net 0 impact on the environment and wildlife
- counter the negative impacts through positive impacts
Environmental Management System Manual
- A comprehensive, systematic, planned , and documented system to manage an organization’s environment program
- includes: organizational structure, planning, training, record keeping, and resources
GEZT
- Green Eco-zoo team
- The Toronto Zoo’s green team
- manages and implements the Environmental Management System Manual
According to the Environmental Management System, what are 8 areas we impact the environment
- waste management
- energy management
- water management
- sustainability and purchasing
- stewardship of the land
- programs and awareness
- engagement and innovations
- chemical management
Three areas under this process
- action
- science
- awareness
Circular economy
Aim to have nothing end up in the landfill. Circulate products and materials.
Zero Waste by 2027
- Zero waste program for the employees where they are being educated
- hopes to eliminate waste sent to landfills through reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting
- aims to achieve this goal by 2027
-Mainly for the staff since they are easier to reach - trying to increase recycling
- problem: different areas have different recycling programs
Material Exchange
- only 18% of what we recycle goes into the Blue Box Program
- this program, we provide our waste to others
- sometimes, we use others’ waste to make resources (Coca Cola barrels for the Polar Bears)
Ongoing Projects
- 14 water bottle filling stations
- working with vendors to reduce single use plastics and wastes
- by 2025 - have no plastics in their gift shop or have recyclable plastics
Plastic Pathway
- Area in the zoo where along the different path roads, there are touch points that talk about different elements of plastics
- guest get to learn about plastic use and the important efforts underway to address plastic pollution
Elements of the plastic pathway
- sustainable design
- reuse and repurpose
- collection , sortation, and recycling
- recycled content and upcycling (asphalt - extending product life cycle)
- community science and engagement
- plastics in the environment
Understanding our waste
- Oscar
- AI technology Bin Sensor Pilot Project
Net Zero Carbon by 2030
- from 1990, decrease in CO2 emissions from the Toronto zoo
- natural gas is the energy consumer at the zoo because in the past, it was the cheapest
- with the carbon tax, it won’t be
- starting to do conversion from natural gas to electric which has lower carbon
- by 2030, the Zoo wants to have net zero greenhouse gas emission
Renewable Energy
- one way to reduce consumption
- use renewable energy sources (solar panels)
- don’t have a large production because it is very expensive
Energy Efficient technologies
- heat pumps (alternate to boiler systems and they are electric and net 0 carbon)
- installed variable frequency drives that drives electric motors
Creating energy from manure
by adding zoo poo to biogas plant, they can create electricity
Zero carbon transportation by 2030
- zoo has 146 cars and majority of them are gas and diesel
- trying to have vehicles that are low carbon
- however, covid created a supply chain issue with electronics
- zoo also has charging stations
Net Zero Water by 2030
- net zero portable water consumption
- we have never get net 0 water
- 90% of the decline has been based on behaviours of the staff
Protecting water resources : Greenhouse
- for the greenhouse, it was able to collect water and garderners use it to water plants and excess are use to water plants on other areas
- technology needed to filter rain water to help clean exhibits
How do green roofs protect water resources?
- green roof captures water run off thus, preventing erosion and flooding
- there are other benefits
- plants can increase biodiversity and creates a natural habitat
- retains energy in the building by acting as an insulation
How does the hyena’s exhibit help to protect water resources
- have a self filtering rain capturing system inside their exhibit
- don’t need to fill it
- allow snow and rain to fill it and create a water cascade
- have filters that filter out negative nutrients and microorganisms
- this is their drinking source and they can play in it
- aesthetically pleasing as well
Cleaning up the water way
- water way is where they have a series of ponds that are connected
- captures 75% of the storm runoff from the Toronto Zoo
- not a good system as it collects nutrients and contaminants
- Not a self filtering systems
- Not safe to use for animals and humans
- Finding ways of cleaning water way using nature-based systems
- Also make it aesthically pleasing