Popular outdoor amusement and recreations areas are prime locations for cutting costs by waste reduction and recycling. The Detroit Zoo provides a great example of a popular tourism destination that is looking to invest in green friendly practices and sustainable projects in order to reduce energy usage and waste disposal fees.

The seven year plan is expected to result in a cost savings of half a million dollars a year which will allow the facility to recoup its expenses within the next seven years. Zoo administrators are already moving forward with plans including securing Green Certification for the zoo’s restaurant, switching to electric- and solar power gold carts for staff and maintenance use, and obtaining LEED certification for the zoo’s education center building. Zoo officials overseeing the implementation have stated that not all changes have required money. Some, like re-arranging office furniture to take advantage of more daylight, were quick and easy to accomplish.

Once all facility updates are in place, the zoo expects to save twelve million gallons of water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by twelve hundred metric tons each year. In addition, a decision was made to stop all sales of water in plastic containers. While the zoo will be giving up that revenue, they are replacing the single use bottles with multi-use water containers that will actually cost visitors less to purchase – and then can be filled as many times as they wish.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Not all energy and waste saving measures have to cost your business lots of money to do. The next time you need to replace a piece of furniture or equipment, look for options that will save you money over the long run and consider small changes, like moving desks closer to windows and re-using materials, to cut down on expenses immediately.