11 December 2015

Wellington Zoo leads the way for the planet by retaining carboNZero certification

Wellington Zoo is thrilled to have again achieved carboNZero certification, after becoming the first Zoo in the world to be carboNZero certified in May 2013.

“Regaining certification for each financial year just goes to show that Wellington Zoo is leading the way in sustainability,” said Karen Fifield, Wellington Zoo Chief Executive and member of the Sustainable Business Council Advisory Board.

“Conservation is at the heart of everything we do, and this achievement shows how very seriously we take our commitment to minimising the Zoo’s environmental impact.”

“Our journey to become the world’s first carboNZero certified zoo was a five-year undertaking, and achieving certification again is a testament to the hard work and commitment to sustainability of all Zoo staff – and a wonderful acknowledgment of our passion for creating a better future for our precious animals,” said Karen.
“As a Council Controlled Organisation we’re delighted to have Wellington City Council join us on our sustainability journey with their recent accreditation for the Certified Emissions Management and Reduction Scheme (CEMARS).”

Daniela Biaggio, Wellington Zoo Conservation Manager, said: “As a conservation organisation, sharing our sustainability journey with our visitors is really important. We want to encourage them to take positive action for our environment to help save animals in the wild.”

“Throughout the Zoo we share messages to show how we’ve worked to shrink our carbon footprint, and highlight actions our visitors can take at home.”

As part of our carboNZero certification, Wellington Zoo has made a commitment to continually work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Over the past four years, the range of sustainability initiatives the Zoo has implemented to reduce our power use and waste generation has helped us to continue reducing our emissions.

This year has seen recycling efforts include turning old marketing billboards into bags sold in the Zoo shop; and all new lights installed throughout the Zoo are LED, while existing fixtures throughout the Zoo are being upgraded to LED to reduce power consumption.

“We’ve got big things on the horizon – including an exciting new energy project that will continue to develop the ways we’re minimizing our impact on the environment,” said Daniela.

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