By Harriet Blake
Green Right Now
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) will hold its annual Party for the Planet events from April 17-25, in honor of Earth Day (April 22).
Party for the Planet at the Houston Zoo
To locate a party near you, check out the AZA listings. Events will feature environmental education activities and fun (and safe) animal encounters. More than 130 zoos and aquariums are participating.
- The Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco will have a two-day celebration April 17-18 when they will showcase such aquatic creatures as Red- Eared Slider turtles, Western Toads, California Newts, Chinchillas and Blue-Tongued Skinks. There will be sustainable seafood and rising sea level discussions, storyteller presentations, hands-on science activities and crafts for environmentalists of all ages. Visitors who show proof of public transportation will also receive a 50% discount on Aquarium admission throughout the weekend. Shoppers also will receive a 20% discount on the Aquarium’s green boutique items.
- At the Los Angeles Zoo, there will be a two-day Earth Day Expo (April 17-18) which will focus on California wildlife. The event is co-sponsored with radio station K-EARTH 101. It features education, conservation and recycling information in an interactive Earth-friendly environment, including crafts and a chance to meet the K-EARTH deejays.
- At Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo during April 17 and 18, guests will learn how to reduce their family’s carbon footprint at the Eco-Expo. Learn about the benefits of solar energy and see a Project Runway-style fashion show of recyclables. Concessionaires will be selling organic food and drinks. On Earth Day itself (April 22), the zoo will hold its 6th annual Science Celebration, showcasing middle school students’ research projects in the areas of conservation and biology.
- The Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas (north of Austin) will celebrate April 17 with more than 20 vendors. There will be interactive conservation demonstrations and kids’ activities, as well as booths where guests may be purchase plants, flowers and herbs.
- The Lehigh Valley Zoo, just outside Philadelphia, will hold its Party for the Planet on April 17. The theme: Get Caught “Green-Handed.” Zoo staff will showcase ways to save the planet and provide conservation tips for daily living. They will focus on our ecological footprint and how to reduce it. As they say on their website: What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by visiting the animals that we share the planet with?
- Salt Lake City’s Hogle Zoo’s event takes place April 24 and will feature live music, kids activities, animal enrichment and up-close animal presentations. Zoo keepers will be on hand to talk about how “going green” affects animals around the globe. The event also will have a booth on the importance of recycling cell phones and other electronic devices. Guests who bring an old cell phone to be recycled will receive $1 off regular zoo admission.
- The Houston Zoo will hold its Party for the Planet on April 24 and 25 with its Waste Management Earth Day. The weekend festivities include a recycling relay race, an environmental maze and a re-usable giant coloring mural. The zoo will hold “Meet the Keeper” talks that will focus on conservation and wildlife. Kids will be invited to start a Nature Journal by filling it with photos, stories or artwork describing what they see in their own backyard. The journals will be available at the Earth Day craft booth where kids can begin by decorating the cover.
- The Staten Island Zoo in New York will hold Our Earth Fair on April 24. The fair will feature green gardening, sustainable living, composting and recycling demos, as well as face painting and crafts. A schedule of zookeeper talks will focus on animal habitats and how they can be protected.
AZA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1924. It is dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums with special focus on conservation, education, science and recreation.
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