Green Practices at the Zoo

Conservation at the Zoo means more than captive breeding, environmental education and support for field programs. We also make sure that the Zoo is operated in an environmentally responsible manner. To help us lead by example, we have implemented resource conservation projects around the Zoo. Many of these green practices involve the same things you would consider at home (energy efficiency, green building materials, green transportation, recycling and purchasing green products) but they are a bit more complex when you are feeding hundreds of animals and hosting one million visitors per year. Some of our efforts are listed below, and we add more all the time.

Recycling

• 20,000 cubic yards of organic animal waste is sent off-grounds for composting each year, as well as 200 tons of organic green waste.
• Landscaping waste is composted or chipped and used as mulch on Zoo grounds, reducing water needs and inhibiting weed growth.
• An on-site recycling program for visitors and staff annually collects approximately 75 tons of cardboard, 180 tons of mixed paper and 35 tons of glass, plastic and aluminum.
• Composting and recycling bins are used in all administrative and education buildings.
• A hazardous waste storage and recycling program handles unused paint, auto batteries, alkaline batteries, cell phones and computers.
• Wool from a herd of Navajo-Churro sheep is shipped each year to the Navajo reservation in New Mexico to be used in traditional weaving practices that support the underlying culture of this indigenous community.
• We grow some of the food for our animals, such as twigs, leaves and bark for koalas, giraffes, monkeys, apes and many more. The leftovers are sent to a composting site off-grounds.

Building the Zoo

The Zoo's newer buildings are energy and water efficient and make use of recycled materials. Efficiency improvements include use of on-demand or low-use hot water heaters, furniture made of sunflower hulls, fly ash concrete floors, natural linoleum floor coverings, salvaged wood building columns, compact fluorescent bulbs, motion sensors for interior lights, and recycled material benches. We recycle construction debris, and have tile, carpet and bathroom partitions made with recycled materials. Plumbing conversions have dramatically reduced water use.

Transportation

• In following San Francisco’s Transit First policy, the Zoo provides a $1 admission discount for visitors who take Muni to the Zoo. The L-Taraval and the Muni 18 and 23 buses go to the Zoo and the beach.
• Bike parking is available in the Zoo’s parking lot.
• The Human Resources Department provides free bus and BART passes to Zoo employees and publicizes such events as Bike to Work Day and Spare the Air Day.
• Our historic Little Puffer miniature steam train has been retrofitted to run on cleaner-burning natural gas.

Food Service

In partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, we offer free Seafood Watch cards at the Leaping Lemur Café and Lurie Education Center. These wallet-sized cards help you make environmentally healthy seafood choices.

The Zoo collects food scraps and other biodegradable byproducts from the Leaping Lemur Café and adds them to the Zoo's composting program. Composting has cut garbage production and trash bag consumption by about half!

Education

Our educational programs address conservation in an age-appropriate manner across the curriculum.

• Children, as young as 18 months, develop feelings of connection and caring for nature in our toddler program.
• Participants in the Zoo’s overnight program receive a conservation pledge card asking them to initiate a conservation action and report back their experience.
• Biodiversity Basics middle school students learn the importance of biodiversity, threats to natural ecosystems and how to mitigate human impact on the environment.
• Special educational materials describing conservation issues and actions are presented at annual events.
• At Zoo Camp, we work to ensure not only that children learn to compost and recycle their waste, but also that they and their parents learn to pack eco-friendly, “no waste” lunches for Zoo Camp and throughout their lives.
• In our Wild Places, Wild Things! conservation lecture series, adults can learn about worldwide conservation efforts from some of the most renowned scientists in the world.

Earthwatch

The Zoo and its board members send several animal keepers each year to participate in Earthwatch conservation and research projects around the world. Keepers have studied wolves in Maine, peccaries in Brazil, lemurs in Madagascar, manatees in Florida, snow leopards in Nepal, insects in Costa Rica, and more.

Gardening

• The Zoo’s horticulture department has planted several native and endangered plant gardens. These areas provide food and cover for local animals and require less water and care than gardens of exotic plants. Visit our native gardens for ideas for your own garden. Then, ask an expert at your local garden center about the kinds of native plants you can grow. Remember, native plants mean less work for you!
• Drought tolerant plants are used when possible and irrigation control systems further reduce water demand.
• We protect the health of our gardens with integrated pest management instead of herbicides or pesticides.
• Plant pots are sent back to the nursery to be re-used.
• Our Dune Restoration Project is restoring the dune area between the Great Highway and the Zoo’s west end parking lot to its native state. This provides important coastal dune habitat for native plant and animal species.
• Our adult volunteer program helps with the Coastal Conservancy Habitat Restoration Partnership.