“Living Green” means finding ways to reduce your negative impact on the environment and increase your positive impact — helping to conserve resources and preserve our world for future generations. It also means looking for ways to share the world with everything, including plants and animals and being a better neighbor in the natural world.
It’s not easy being green, but it is possible!
Purchase Sustainable Seafood
Easy Conservation Tips YOU Can Do at Home
- Close your curtains during the day to keep heat out.
- Adjust your thermostat. By increasing the thermostat by one degree in the summer and decreasing it one degree in the winter, you can cut ten percent off of your electricity bill
- Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights. They use up to 75 percent less electricity.
- Turn off computers, printers, copiers, etc. when not in use.
- Put lids on pans while cooking.
- Only wash full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher and avoid using the dry cycle on the dishwasher.
- Use a slow cooker – it doesn’t add heat to the house while cooking.
- Newer models of washing machines, and most detergents, can effectively clean clothes in cold water.
- Use an outdoor barbeque grill instead of the oven during warm months.
- Turn your water heater thermostat down to 120 degrees.
- Purchase products that you know are made by green companies.
- Try solar power. The panels pay for themselves in 10 – 15 years and have an operating life of 25 years or more. They may also include regulatory and financial incentives, depending on the region.
Reduce and Reuse
- Bring reusable bags to the grocery store instead of using new plastic or paper bags.
- When you can, purchase things in bulk and with minimal packaging.
- Find ways to reuse containers (i.e. storage, art projects).
- Reduce water and electricity usage in your home.
- Use reusable containers to pack lunches instead of plastic baggies.
- Shop locally. Buy food and products in your community to reduce pollution caused by shipping products by truck, ship or plane. This also helps to build your local economy.
- Find out what your city will accept.
- Donate old clothing, furniture and toys to charity.
- Compost the materials you can.
- Drop off your old cell phone and used printer cartridges in the Zoo’s Guest Services Lobby and the Zoo will receive money to go toward our conservation efforts.
- Most recyclable items used on a daily basis including paper, glass, aluminum and cardboard can all be added to the recycle bin instead of the trash can.
Reach out to Your Community
- Organize a clean-up day.
- If you live in a neighborhood that isn’t required to recycle, make sure your neighbors know how and where to recycle.
- Contact your local Waste Management Facility Hotline to locate recyclable drop-off sites.
- Set a positive example for your friends and family.
- Ride Share – start carpools with co-workers or parents for school and activities.
Purchase Ink Cartridges
Did you know you can purchase inkjet cartridges and benefit the non-profit Phoenix Zoo? Save up to 70 percent on printer cartridges at zoocartridges.com and make a donation to the Zoo in the process. The Zoo receives $2 – $5 per cartridge. Cartridges are shipped FREE for orders totaling more than $50. For more information contact email@example.com
The Zoo also accepts used inkjet cartridges and will recycle them for you. Simply bring them to the Guest Service Lobby located at the Zoo entrance and we will do the rest.