Page 47 - Brookfield Zoo Chicago Annual_Report_2024

SUSTAINABILITY SNAPSHOT

Upcyling Old Uniforms Reducing Plastic Use
In several sessions throughout the Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s food and retail conserve
summer of 2024, Brookfield Zoo Chicago partner SSA Group led the Zoo’s transi-
volunteers and employees made dog tion from plastic to aluminum cups,
toys for shelter dogs out of the Zoo’s introducing a durable, lightweight,
old uniforms. Chicago Bears defensive and fully recyclable option for guests.
end Jake Martin joined us to help out This change resulted in more than
and deliver the toys to PAWS Chicago’s 33,000 drinks being served in aluminum
Adoption Center to offer a unique form cups, significantly reducing single-use
of enrichment for the dogs currently plastic waste. SSA Group is continuing
in their care. The partnership aimed to replace additional single-use items,
to divert waste from landfills, which emit including paper snow cone cups, plastic
harmful greenhouse gases. bottles, and more.
A New Partnership with Coca-Cola Water Conservation
in The Swamp
In September 2024, Brookfield Zoo
Chicago forged a new partnership
The Swamp underwent upgrades that
with Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling. The
help support water conservation.
partnership enables the Zoo to reduce
Previously, the free flight aviary habitat
its environmental impact by eliminating
was cleaned using a water-intensive
the use of 150,000 plastic bottles
“dump and fill” method. In the upgrade
annually and moving toward more
process, the habitat was outfitted with
sustainable packaging.
natural bog filtration systems designed
by Aquascapes, mimicking wetland envi-
Plush Recycling
ronments and reducing water usage while
SSA Group worked with Wild Republic, enhancing water clarity and cleanliness.
a leader in eco-friendly plush toys, to start
Pursuing an Electric Fleet
a plush recycling program at Brookfield
Zoo Chicago and other zoos around the
In 2024, the Zoo advanced its commit-
country in the fall of 2024. The Zero Waste
ment to sustainable operations by
Box Program allows customers to bring
expanding its fleet of electric vehicles.
their well-loved but no longer needed
Two electric tram cabs were purchased
plush toys to participating SSA Group
to replace older gas-powered models,
retail locations. These toys will then
and additional electric vehicles. Today,
be collected and sent to TerraCycle,
more than 90% of the Zoo’s golf cart fleet
which takes in hard-to-recycle materials,
is electric, with many carts purchased
ensuring that they are repurposed
as refurbished or reconditioned models
and kept out of landfills.
as part of an ongoing upcycling effort.
ANNUAL REPORT 2024 37