Archive for the ‘Recycling/Green’ Category

Apr
21

How Did Earth Day Start?

Posted by Rochelle Joseph in Conservation,Events,Holidays,Recycling/Green

Ever wonder how Earth Day started?  Back in 1962, there was a senator from Wisconsin named Gaylord Nelson, who was bothered by the fact that conservation and the environment was just not on the national political agenda.  He approached then Attorney General Robert Kennedy and his brother, President John F. Kennedy and suggested they start a conservation tour to raise awareness on topic.  They indeed went to 11 states in the fall of 1963.

While that tour didn’t do much on Capitol Hill,  the idea germinated in many small ways, and soon enough, a grass roots movement was in motion.

Senator Nelson continued to speak any chance he could to fan the flame, with his goal being to bring these concerns — not just his but the people’s — to the spotlight. It took seven years but ultimately it culminated in first Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970!  That took a lot of patience and dedication on his part, and by all the citizens who, one by one, participated to bring it about.

Senator Nelson will forever be known as the founder of Earth Day (how cool is that?!?), but it’s the people who joined in and got behind the cause that made it happen. Folks just like me and you. It’s really important to remember that our actions, even small ones, can actually make a difference.

This year marks the 40th Earth Day and we’re is putting on a Party for the Planet this coming Saturday and Sunday, April 24th and 25th. Besides all the great things you’d normally do when you visit the Zoo, we’ll have all kinds of extra activities and a plethora of Meet the Keeper talks, sponsored by Target, that have environmental themes.

We hope you’ll come to enjoy the day we have planned for Waste Management’s Earth Day at the Houston Zoo and leave inspired to do what you can for the good of our planet and all the beautiful animals that live here with us!

Written by Rochelle Joseph. Please visit my personal animal and nature blog at www.naturegirrrl.blogspot.com

Image from The Nelson Papers

Apr
20

Did You Know?

Posted by Rochelle Joseph in Conservation,Events,Giveaway,Recycling/Green

Almost all of us drink from aluminum cans…but do all of us recycle them?

Did you know that aluminum cans are what’s known as a sustainable metal, meaning it can be recycled not just once, but again and again?  And it’s unique in that it can go through the recycling process and be back in stores in new use in as little as 60 days!  So how much of a difference could you make if you made that extra little effort to recycle yours? A LOT!

We make it easier than ever to do this at the zoo with our new recycling bins. They’re easy to spot because they look like big silver bottles, and there are 100 of them all through the Zoo.

Look for our 100 new recycling bins and toss your cans and bottles there.

Larry Cummings, a staff member at Earth911.com wrote an informative, easy-to-read fact sheet that you can find HERE to learn much more.

I make the effort to recycle all my aluminum. I even pick them up when I see them laying somewhere, and stash them in a bag in my car to take the next time I drive to my local recycling facility. Why bother? Think about it… besides saving the planet’s precious metals and energy, you are also contributing to preserving natural habitats that the animals we all love need to live in.  That’s all the motivation I require, but it also makes me feel good to do it.  And that part is priceless.

Isn’t that a great reason to make the effort?  Not just on one day, but most days, if not every day?

The Houston Zoo invites you to bring an aluminum can to the recycling booth at the Main Entry or the Medical Center Gate during our Waste Management Earth Day Weekend party, this coming Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25th.  From this simple good deed of recycling your can, you’ll receive a coupon for $1 off, redeemable at any Houston Zoo ticket booth!!!

We’ve got lots of fun in store. See you then!

For more information on Earth Day Weekend at the Houston Zoo, go to http://www.houstonzoo.org/earthday/

This promotion is not valid with any other coupon or offer. Receive one dollar off per person/per can.  Maximum discount of $6 per family or group.

Written by Rochelle Joseph. Visit me at my personal animal and nature blog at www.naturegirrrl.blogspot.com

Aluminum can photo at:  jtw2962.k12.sd.us/…/ lab1-1whalen/pictures.htm.

Jan
28

Have You Tried The Houston Zoo App? It’s FREE!

Posted by Rochelle Joseph in Recycling/Green,Volunteers

Though I was one of the first in line to buy the Iphone, I’ve never downloaded or used what’s become commonly known as an App — a fun or useful thing that your phone/Ipod can do for you.

But when the Houston Zoo said they were offering an App, I decided it was time. And it was easy — I simply pressed the app store button on my device and typed in “Houston Zoo”. The App appeared and I hit the download button. Voila! Within seconds, without having spent a dime, there in the palm of my hand was all the information I needed regarding the zoo – as a visiting member, and as a volunteer whose job it is to answer questions from our guests and help their visit be an easy and memorable one.

I’m here to encourage you to try it yourself if you haven’t already. You don’t even need to be at the zoo.  Just pull out your Iphone or your Ipod Touch and follow the steps I did and check it out. It’s as helpful for planning your visit before you come to the zoo as it is when you’re on grounds.

As a docent these are a few of the questions I get asked all the time: When is the next Keeper Chat? Where is the carousel from here? Are there recycling bins on grounds?  Where are the rest rooms, the food courts, the ice cream places?   How far is it to the gift shop?  Is there a back exit, even though we came in the front? What’s this tiger/elephant/stork/warthog’s name? While the Zoo will always have plenty of people like me walking around to help our guests, all of these questions and more can be answered in a pinch by the App. And I learned yesterday that the zoo is about to add several new videos, pictures and features — and, they will continue to update and improve it to better serve you.

So I’m, curious — for those of you who’ve used the Houston Zoo App, will you leave me a comment telling me what  you’ve liked best about it or tell me of a situation where the App was helpful to you?

If you have something other than an iphone or ipod touch:  We’re looking to expand into other smart phone applications –like Driods and Blackberries –and would love to know how many of you would like to have something designed for those phones. Just let us know in the comments.  Thanks!

Written by Rochelle Joseph. Please visit Rochelle’s own blog, Adventures in Nature,  at http://naturegirrrl.blogspot.com/

Dec
09

The latest addition to the Houston Zoo landscape will put a spring in your step

Posted by admin in Featured,Horticulture,Recycling/Green

The new pathway to the Tropical Bird House

The new pathway to the Tropical Bird House

Four environmentally friendly pathways are the newest additions to the Houston Zoo’s landscape. The new pathways, installed by National Sales and Supply are located near the Brown Education Center, the Tropical Bird House, the entrance to Wortham World of Primates, and the cassowary and hornbill viewing area.

The pathways are made from recycled rubber tires, which accounts for the spring in your step when you walk on them.

A close-up of the new mulch

A close-up of the new mulch

The area at the entrance to Wortham World of Primates will be home to a bronze orangutan statue which will be installed and dedicated early next year.

The recycling process is simple – The tires are first shredded into strips, then ground to smaller pieces where powerful magnets are used to remove the steel fibers from the tires. The rubber from the shredded tires is mixed with a urethane base and the pathway is poured to the desired thickness, shape and form.

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