2017 ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES REPORT · 2017 Environmental Initiatives Report 2018-05-23 Page 2 of 16 Page 2 of 16 . GEZT provides an annual report to the CEO for presentation to

STAFF REPORT

2017 Environmental Initiatives Report 2018-05-23 Page 1 of 16

To: Board of Management

From: Kyla Greenham, Curator of Conservation & Environment

Subject:

Date:

2017 ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES REPORT

2018-09-14

SUMMARY:

The purpose of this report is to update the Board of Management on environmental priorities and initiatives achieved for the Toronto Zoo in 2017. The Toronto Zoo continues to complete projects to improve energy efficiency, water conservation, waste diversion and employee and public engagement to reduce its overall carbon footprint. The Toronto Zoo has made tremendous progress in the development of the Environmental Management System that will provide strategic direction for capital and operational projects to realize the 2027 greenhouse gas emission targets of the Green Plan.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

It is recommended that this report be received for information.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

There is no financial impact from this report.

DECISION HISTORY:

In 2006, the Toronto Zoo introduced a Greenprint that provided resources and suggestions for the creation of the 2007 Green Plan. The Green Plan addresses the Toronto Zoo’s major environmental impacts and provides action steps towards a greener solution by outlining goals, targets, timeframes and areas of responsibility.

COMMENTS:

The Green Eco-Zoo Team (GEZT), a non-technical advisory committee to the CEO, addresses the environmental impacts of Zoo operations, policies and procedures, and makes recommendations that will lessen our ecological footprint in the Rouge Valley and on the earth. The organizational structure of GEZT incorporates all divisions and units of the Zoo and meets quarterly.

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2017 Environmental Initiatives Report 2018-05-23 Page 2 of 16 Page 2 of 16

GEZT provides an annual report to the CEO for presentation to the Board of Management on environmental projects, programs and initiatives in progress or completed over the past year. Mrs. Kyla Greenham, Curator of Conservation & Environment, chairs GEZT. In 2017, GEZT concentrated on 2 main areas to focus the Toronto Zoo’s environmental sustainability platform; an ISO14001-compatible Environmental Management System (EMS) and employee engagement. Environmental Management System GEZT completed the final reviews and updates to an ISO14001-compatible Environmental Management System that will be rolled out to all Zoo divisions and branches as of January 1, 2018. The EMS will guide staff in decision making, communication and regulatory compliance. It incorporates the Zoo’s vision and mission, existing policies and operating procedures, financial and operational constraints, and the environmental objectives and targets as the Zoo works to reduce its impact on the environment. In preparation of its roll out, GEZT also increased awareness through engagement opportunities of the Zoo’s past and current efforts to reduce its ecological footprint. These efforts have realized an increase in the number of operating and capital projects completed and proposed for a more environmentally-sustainable Zoo, as well as improved discussions and planning amongst Divisions for environmental projects. For the EMS, GEZT completed a full manual that outlines the Zoo’s EMS, employee responsibilities and guidelines to assist all Zoo staff in implementing the EMS within their divisions. The EMS manual was also reviewed and updated to be compatible with the 2015 version of the ISO14001 standards. The Zoo’s Environmental First Policy was updated to be the backbone of the Environmental Management System. Finally, GEZT and Branch Managers conducted workshops to develop the 2018 Action Plans for projects to address the top priorities of the Environmental Management System: Energy, Water, Waste and the Palm Oil Conservation message. The 2018 Action Plans projects were approved through the Zoo’s 2018 Operating Budget and Projects processes. Energy Efficiency Improvements To actively achieve our 2007 Green Plan targets, the Zoo has identified the need to improve operational efficiencies in its building infrastructure. Many of the changes made in 2017 are not publically profiled, but are more effective in reducing the Zoo’s overall carbon footprint. Direct action taken to address the Zoo’s top operational activities that impact the environment are designed to optimize our current energy and water consumption levels. Optimization of these activities to meet the needs of Zoo operations and reduce our consumption is the first step in a long term plan to reach a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 95% below 1990 levels by 2027. In recent years, the Toronto Zoo has realized energy reductions through capital and operating projects completed by the Facilities & Services Branch.


In 2015, the Utilities Branch initiated a site wide energy consumption reduction program with the installation of the first three on-demand hot water heaters. As of the end of 2017, a total of 16 hot water heaters with storage tanks have been replaced by 15 on-demand hot water heaters. With the additional 6 on-demand hot water heaters installed in 2017, the estimated annual energy savings is now up to $2,304 ($144 per tank). The Education Portable was fitted with heat recoverable ventilators (HRV). The new ventilators are efficient than the undersized units that previously existed in the portable. These will increase air exchange and cooling capacity in the portable improving air quality for the students. Although larger in size, the efficiency rating in the units will result in no increase in electricity consumption. In support of taking action on climate change, the Toronto Zoo celebrated Earth Hour on Saturday March 25, 2017 by turning off all non-essential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. To increase public awareness about Earth Hour and the impact of climate change, Toronto’s Facebook page hosted four spotlights on how climate change is impacting the habitat range of endangered species that can be viewed at the Toronto Zoo. Signage throughout the Zoo the week leading up to Earth Hour, also highlighted impacts to habitat and how people can reduce such impact.

In October 2016, the Utilities Branch installed 11 Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) on pump, motors and heaters in the Indo-Malayan Pavilion and realized a 50% reduction in energy consumption per month. Following this successful project with additional support from the saveONenergy Incentive Rebate Program and the City of Toronto Energy & Environment Office, the Toronto Zoo installed 12 VFDs in the Africa Rainforest Pavilion. This project is also expected to realize a 30%

reduction in energy consumption per month. Green Technology Implementation Success of the Ozone Water Sanitizing system used by custodial staff to reduce the amount of chemicals and water utilized for cleaning the Administrative and Operations Complex has resulted in the installation of two new units in the new Wildlife Health Centre in 2017. The Facilities and Services Branch continues to upgrade lighting systems to LED and has replaced approximately 8% of all Zoo lighting with LED bulbs. In 2017, Public pathway lighting in the pavilions was the primary LED retrofit lighting project.


A water filtration system has been added to the one-horned rhino exhibit, saving one million litres of water annually, as it will significantly reduce the frequency of dump and fills. This filtration system is estimated to save as much as 8,775,000L of potable water per year. Working directly with the City of Toronto Energy & Environment office, the Toronto Zoo has full access to the EnergyCAP program which monitors energy consumption, trends and greenhouse gas emissions. This online dashboard allows the Zoo’s Facilities & Services and Conservation & Environment units to track consumption performances and greenhouse gas emissions monthly, rather than waiting on an annual report from the City of Toronto Energy & Environment Office. This will allow the Zoo to see the impact of energy efficiency projects and operational needs within monthly timeframes and to be more reactive to our resource use. New Infrastructure

Spring of 2017 saw the completion of the new Wildlife Health Centre (WHC). The facility includes 13 leading-edge sustainable construction techniques including; bird-friendly windows, sensor lighting, green roof, HVAC heat recovery systems, fluorescent and LED lighting, a cooling roof, insulated foundation walls, low flow fixtures, permeable pavers, low impact landscaping, removal of suspended solids in stormwater, all while using the footprint of the original facility as much as possible. The Wildlife Health Centre is the most energy efficient and sustainable operational facility at the Zoo.


One hundred percent of the windows for the WHC feature a bird friendly acid etch dot pattern on the outside surface of the window to prevent bird from striking the glass. This feature is in conformance with the Toronto Green Standards. Where appropriate, lighting in the WHC is controlled by occupancy sensors in an effort to reduce the overall light load.

Approximately 60% of the available roof area is covered by a green roof. A total of 5,200 square of green roof was installed. Not only does this conform to the Toronto Green Standards, it provides a more aesthetically pleasing view to employee offices on the second floor of the WHC and Conservation, Education & Wildlife Centre overlooking the roof. The remaining 40% of roof area of the WHC is covered with a white (cool) roofing membrane. Both features, green roof and cool roof, reduce the “heat island effect” and the cooling load required in the summer.

The mechanical system for the WHC features a heat recovery system that is specifically designed to work with animal treatment facilities. Modifications of mechanical systems to meet the needs of animal environments inherently reduces the efficiencies of the systems, however preplanning and preparations for design not only meets the needs of the animals, but works to ensure as high energy efficiency as possible. To meet the operational needs of the Toronto Zoo services, a combination of fluorescent and LED lighting was installed in the WHC to lower the power consumption from the lighting load as well as meet wave length requirements/restrictions. The buildings foundation features a double foundation wall construction with continuous insulation sandwiched between the walls. This allows for a continuous thermally broken transition from foundation insulation to façade insulation reducing heat loss. All washroom fixtures at the WHC feature low flow design to meet sustainability standards. The landscape features of the WHC consist of permeable pavers used to reduce stormwater flow into the municipal system and recharge the groundwater; and drought resistant plants to reduce the demand on irrigation with 31 of the 35 plant species being native plants. Finally, the underground stormwater system features a “jellyfish” type oil/grit separator unit which removes 80% of the suspended solids from the stormwater. This is in conformance with the Toronto Green Standards.


Policies and Procedures In preparation for the roll out of the EMS, the Zoo’s Environment First Policy has been updated and signed by the CEO. Updates to the policy further define the Zoo’s approach to reducing its ecological footprint in support of a vision to be a national leader in conserving wildlife. The policy recognizes the Zoo’s responsibility to act as a leader in environmental sustainability by implementing practices and actions that benefit wildlife and the environment. The Toronto Zoo has released its official statement on the palm oil issue. We acknowledge that production and processing of palm oil has a large role to play in the economy of the countries where it is grown. It also has devastating effects on the wildlife living in those countries. As a leader in conservation we aim to educate the public on the use of sustainable palm oil, and will work on ensuring that the Toronto Zoo also strives to use sustainable products in our gift shops and restaurants. The Toronto Zoo Palm Oil Statement commits the Zoo to becoming a sustainable palm oil facility by 2025. Zoo staff have committed to the actions in this statement, by initiating a palm oil audit to assess our current use and sale of products containing sustainable and unsustainable palm oil and consciously replacing items that have unsustainable palm oil with confirmed sustainable palm oil. For example, the Staff Holiday Party Committee consciously chose to purchase Halloween candy that contained sustainable palm oil to fill the Halloween Candy-gram bags and included a palm oil statement card in the bags. Environmental Awareness/Public Outreach The Toronto Zoo reached a number of audiences in 2017 to promote environmental and sustainability awareness through public outreach opportunities. Toronto Zoo held Party for the Planet in celebration of Earth Day onsite with activities located throughout the Eurasia Wilds and Tundra Trek. Earth Day® Canada, a leading environmental education NGO, partnered with the Zoo to provide activities and games for kids and families. Thirteen environmental organizations in Ontario were invited to provide visitors with fun resources showcasing the many ways we can be leaders in “green” living including; Adopt-A-Pond Wetland Conservation Programme, Great Lakes Outreach, PhoneApes Cell Phone Recycling, Earth Day® Canada, ZooShare, Live Green Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum, Ripple Farms, Toronto Zoo Enrichment, Greenlid, SawmillsID, Diabetes Canada and Furniture Bank. Approximately 12,621 visitors attended the event. Bullfrog Power sponsored the event by providing alternative energy for the Caribou Café and Tundra Trek facilities for the weekend, savings equivalent to carbon sequestered by 3.6 tree saplings grown for 10 years. This year’s theme of ‘Reducing Waste – Don’t Just Recycle – Upcycle!’ highlighted the many things we can do to support conservation and biodiversity through actions in our life. A series of 4 workshops added to the Party for the Planet agenda hosted by Zoo staff and local artisans; Twisted Upcycle Creations; Horse Tire Swing; Repairathon and Mending Tips and Tricks were very successful as an interactive learning experience for guests as well as a revenue generating opportunity for the Zoo. Partnering with Diabetes Canada, the Zoo also hosted a textile collection drive, collecting over 4,200 lbs of textiles diverting them from landfill. The annual rain barrel sale once again brought awareness to water resources and raised funds for the Zoo’s Green


Conservation program. Proceeds raised during the Party for the Planet and rain barrel sale have been designated for the construction of a large rain harvesting system for the Zoo’s Horticulture branch. During the marketing of Party for the Planet, a total of three Facebook posts and seven Twitter posts were used to highlight this year’s theme of Waste reduction, and included ideas and activities that can be done at home to upcycle some items that are not generally recyclable such as twine, concrete, PVC, and candy wrappers. As an Arctic Ambassador Centre, the Toronto Zoo actively engages target audiences in better understanding the impact of climate change on polar bears and their arctic habitat and the reliance of humans on a carbon-based economy. Through our education programs we encourage students to become engaged in activities within their local community that result in stewardship or conservation actions that mitigate greenhouse gases. We work closely with Polar Bear International (PBI) and partner organizations to; support content development, share messaging tools, coordinate public information activities and, create metric tools to measure program successes. Through these activities and collaborations the Zoo informs, inspires, and empowers others to take immediate steps to reduce CO2 for the conservation of polar bear habitat and other species impacted by a warming world. “Polar Bear Fest” and “Move Your Paws for the Polar Bear Cause” wrapped up the “Bundle Up for Polar Bears” initiative designed to encourage people to turn down their thermostat. Over 1,690 people visited the event for the day. Visitors enjoyed learning about polar bears through a variety of exciting polar bear-themed activities and made a ‘polar pledge’ to take action to reduce their impact on the environment. Many families spent over an hour taking part in all the activities. Two special presentations (Wildlife Care staff – Cub development and training; Dr. Martyn Obbard – Fat composition a condition of prey seasonality) were attended by 88 people. Over 995 people, including students at two elementary schools and Toronto Zoo staff and Volunteers, participated in this year’s Bundle Up For Polar Bears Thermostat Challenge and turned down their thermostat by at least 2oC over the course of the week. The combined efforts resulted in savings of approximately 14,463 kg (31,885 lbs) of CO2/year (equivalent of 375 tree seedlings grown for 10 years to remove that amount of CO2 from the air or CO2 emissions from 591 propane cylinders used for home barbeques). Recent expansions to the Toronto Zoo’s PhoneApes Cellphone Recycling program continue to promote awareness about Great Ape conservation. The Zoo hosted an e-waste collection in October 2017 collecting over 4,308 lbs of general e-waste for recycling. The Zoo is currently looking for a sponsor for the expansion of the PhoneApes program to other Zoos in Canada, making it a national program. To date, the Toronto Zoo has recycled over 35,000 cellphones and donated more than $29,000 to Great Ape conservation efforts in Africa.


Toronto Zoo GEZT continued to extend its reach by participating in additional events such as the Symcor EcoFair, Humber College Sustainability Fair, University of Toronto’s Environmental Sustainability Conference, Dunbarton EcoSchool Sustainability Fair, Bayview Collegiate EcoSchool Sustainability Fair, Francis Libermann Catholic High School Green Fest, York Region Youth Environmental Summit, The Sustainability Collaborative, Triovest Tenant’s Appreciation Day and Collier’s Tenant’s Appreciation Day.


Renaturalization/Biodiversity Improvement Projects The Toronto Zoo continues to commit to renaturalization of the Zoo site. Through Corporate Volunteerism and the commitment of Zoo staff to protect natural ecosystems, the Zoo hosted a tree planting and a large meadow planting in partnership Symcor Inc. in 2017. Symcor supports Acres for the Atmosphere and Meadows for Monarchs with significant donations as well as 200 staff and family who do the planting. A total of 100 other corporate volunteers from Price Waterhouse Cooper participated in two browse collection events to help support the Zoo’s browse feeding program.

Once again, Toronto Zoo staff hosted two Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanups at the Rouge Beaches. Toronto Zoo staff, community residences and corporate volunteers participated in these two events collecting a total of 1,557 pieces of garbage, 14 bags of recyclables and a few larger items including patio furniture. In the spring, a Toronto Zoo site wide clean up by staff ensured the site was clean after the winter months and ready for the busy summer season.

Toronto Zoo continues to be a key member of the Ontario BioBlitz Steering Committee. In celebration of Canada’s sesquicentennial, the Ontario BioBlitz program became the BioBlitz Canada 150 program, championed by the Ontario BioBlitz Steering Committee. The goal was to invite citizen scientists in all provinces and territories to become involved in our natural history. Funding from the Government of Canada as one of 38 Canada 150 Signature Projects, the Canada BioBlitz 150 program hosted five flagship Bioblitzes across Canada, with the Canada BioBlitz 150 – Rouge Urban National Park 2017 was one, 10 Intensive Scientific Bioblitzes and 20 community Bioblitzes in each province and territory. The BioBlitz Canada 150 – Rouge National Urban Park 2017, hosted by Parks Canada at the Toronto Zoo had 1,995 participating Blitzers plus an additional 1,500 attendees to the Nature Festival, identified 1,324 species in the Rouge National Urban Park including the 40 km2 of newly acquired lands that hadn’t been surveyed in over 50 years. The number of species identified continues to grow daily as experts continue to identify samples obtained during the blitz. Toronto Zoo, along with several key steering committee members such as the ROM, Parks Canada, and University of Guelph’s Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG) provided expert staff to conduct and lead taxon groups throughout the event. Dr. K. Kerr, M. Franke and K. Greenham assisted with the coordination of taxon groups while an additional 27 Zoo staff participated in the intensive blitz. The Ontario BioBlitz Steering Committee acted as a


mentor for the Vancouver and Halifax BioBlitzes, with K. Greenham representing the Toronto Zoo at the Vancouver Stanley Park BioBlitz. Working together to increase the opportunities to grow local plants that can be used as browse, Horticulture and Nutrition planted several herb varieties at each Pavilion for animal enrichment training and over 500 apple and willow trees for browse. Partnerships/Collaboration To achieve the goals of the 2007 Green Plan, Toronto Zoo has reached out to create partnerships and collaborations with like-minded organizations. These partnerships and collaborations have been instrumental in achieving project goals, developing a resource base of knowledge and materials, and developing a network from which to learn and share. The Toronto Zoo continues to support the PBI “Call to Action” Campaign to showcase Toronto Zoo as an Arctic Ambassador Centre. It outlines some of Toronto Zoo's key goals and ongoing initiatives, such as providing displays that showcase “green energy” for visitors such as Ice-Bear, Geothermal Energy, and Green Roofs; as well as workshops on climate change for grades/youth groups and interpretation at the polar bear exhibit for visitors and educating the public through messaging in Keeper Talks. The Toronto Zoo’s green initiative programs are profiled on the Arctic Ambassador Website http://polarbearsinternational.org/get-involved/arctic-ambassador-centers. Kyla Greenham represents the Toronto Zoo as a member of the Ontario Biodiversity Council (OBC) and Biodiversity Education & Awareness Network. Toronto Zoo is a member of Partners in Project Green (PPG). Toronto Zoo staff have participated in 4 training workshops hosted by PPG – Zero Waste Strategy (x2) and Lighting Retrofitting and water retrofit projects. Kyla Greenham and Anna-Marie Burrows, Manager of Horticulture & Grounds share a position as a member of the PPG’s Waste Management Committee. Nia Gibson, Coordinator of Education for Sustainable Development Programs, is a member of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade ECObusiness Advisory Committee. The Toronto Zoo also supported two interns from Seneca College’s Sustainable Business Management program in the spring of 2017. The interns began a water and a lighting audit for the Zoo in preparations for the 2018 EMS Action Plans. The implementation of projects for sustainable business and operational improvements have a direct correlation to the program content and provide a valuable opportunity for students to gain hands on experience with environmental sustainability and energy efficiency projects as well as an Environmental Management System. Leadership

http://polarbearsinternational.org/get-involved/arctic-ambassador-centers


Toronto Zoo maintains its active member status with AZA’s Green Scientific Advisory Group, providing mentorship to members of the sustainability staff at other Canadian Zoos and Aquariums. In 2017, Kyla Greenham provided assistance to Calgary Zoo and Vancouver Aquarium developing a very strong working relationship. The Toronto Zoo continues to maintain its Level Two Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade ECO-business certification. The Toronto Zoo is no longer an EcoCentre certified facility as the EcoCentres program folded in 2016. Employee Engagement The Toronto Zoo once again participated in Partners in Project Green’s People Power Challenge (PPC) from April to September. PPC is an employee engagement challenge to improve active participation of staff in corporate sustainability activities/practices as well as personal sustainability practices. This program increases employee awareness of corporate sustainability policies and practices and identifies areas that need attention or improvement. Working on a solid platform of sustainability and conservation action, the Toronto Zoo placed a very close second place in the large corporate category, receiving $3,500 towards green initiatives. The PPC consisted of pledges and suggestions made by staff and volunteers, interactions with the program’s mobile app, initiation and completion of green/sustainable initiatives and participation of staff and volunteers in action of sustainability (habitat restoration, energy efficiency, resource use reductions etc.) and Zoo participation in the program is as follows:

• 29 people downloaded the Nudge Rewards App • 27,230 interactions with the app • 97 suggestions were submitted to GEZT • GEZT implemented 23 of those suggestions by the end of the challenge • 703 pledges were made by staff/volunteers with over 196,788 actions made

towards those pledges. • 28 Sustainability Educational Resources were generated and distributed • 54 sustainability projects completed by September 15, 2017 • 116 tweets were issued that generated 248,349 impressions • 88 joint sustainability initiatives completed with Challenge competitors • 4 Lunch & Learns organized

Through the People Power Challenge, increased awareness of paper consumption at the Toronto Zoo has resulted in the reduction of paper for several operational processes. Facilities & Services, Human Resources, and Computer Services continue to move towards computer-based processes and eliminate/reduce the use of paper processes. The Fun Team modified schedule formatting and take home colouring sheets to reduce the volume of paper used without impacting guest experience, saving approximately 5,000 square feet of paper. Procurement is working with suppliers and vendors to utilize online purchasing and tracking systems to reduce paper consumption, saving at least 2,350 square feet of paper. Other branches have improved sorting for recycling and work with Hollie Ross, Wildlife Care Supervisor, to repurpose more items for animal enrichment. Other branches are working with the Materials Collection branch to source


new recycling opportunities for commonly used items such as rubber gloves, wood wool, and food service bags. The Horticulture branch are repurposing donated barrels from Coca-Cola Ltd. for planters. An additional 16 timers were purchased and installed on misters for outdoor wildlife habitats. Using timers on the misting hoses, Keepers are capable of setting a set length of time the misters run for. The use of timers controls the amount of water used and frees the keepers to complete their duties without having to return to shut off the tap. The timers are adjustable so keepers can adjust the length of time the misters run according to weather conditions as well. The timers are expected to result in a water savings of up to 80L per timer per day or 3,600L of water per day in the summer months. GEZT organized a second textile collection drive during Ontario’s Waste Reduction Week, October 16 to 20, 2017. This event, open only to Zoo staff and volunteers, collected 4.5 tonnes of materials. The Toronto Zoo Materials and Collection branch is in the final year of delivering waste bamboo to the permaculture facility in Holland Landing. It is estimated that based on the average consumption compared to the average bamboo being discarded over the past year, the Toronto Zoo has diverted approximately 15,850 kg of bamboo from landfill. 100% of the waste bamboo has been diverted from landfill through shipments to the farmer and onsite use by wildlife care, education and horticulture as recycled items for enrichment, educational crafts and alternative uses such as fence posts and tree plantings support posts. Waste diversion for the Toronto Zoo continues to improve as well, exceeding a 74% waste diversion rate. The Education branch have purchased ceramic cups, so they do not have to use single use cups at any Education or Volunteer training events/meetings. They have also purchased reusable plates for snack times during public programming. The Wildlife Nutrition Centre continue to incorporate many waste reducing strategies including finding ways to reduce the number of plastic bags used – this involves bulk preparation of animal diets, reuse of plastic bags and eliminating the use of plastic bags where possible. They have also introduced several recycling bins for clear plastics, diverting 90% of bags that were previously going to landfill. Along with the reduction in waste the Nutrition Centre has also been diverting waste by coming up with creative ideas of reusing items, from using green bean baskets to house tools to diverting worm castings to horticulture for use in compost. They have started delivering larger quantities of food at once to certain areas of the Zoo to reduce the number of deliveries made, reducing vehicular use. In a bid to help with animal conservation, they continue to purchase feeder fish which carries the marine Stewardship Council certification and look to purchase feeds that do not contain palm oil. The Safety and Security branch have initiated the use of iTrax, Incident Reporting Software. This will allow for a more stream-lined approach to reporting and recording


incidents on site and will greatly reduce the amount of paper being used. This system also integrates with the EMS program by flagging any environmental incidents and automatically sending details to concerned parties. The Toronto Zoo continues to participate in the TerraCycle recycling program. TerraCycle is an international company with the innovation to divert currently non-recyclable (through local municipal recycling programs) products from landfill by innovative post-consumer waste product manufacturing. TerraCycle will upscale products by directly using the materials submitted into new items for sale such as purses/bags and pencil/pen holders, or recycle other products to create 100% post-consumer waste garbage receptacles, park benches, fence and cutting boards. Four TerraCycle recycling programs are being used for the Toronto Zoo’s TerraCycle program: Air freshener packaging, inkjet cartridges, Brita water filters and cereal plastic packages. As a charity, the Zoo will be paid for each item collected. All funds generated will be diverted to green initiatives at the Zoo. To date, the Zoo has recycled more than 37,767 items at a weight of 7,249 kg of waste diverted from landfill. The Toronto Zoo Materials Collections branch working with the City of Toronto Waste Management Division in 2008 set a target of diverting 70% of all Zoo waste from landfill. Setting up an intensive recycling and composting program for the Zoo, as well as increasing public and employee awareness of these programs has resulted in the Zoo achieving this target in 2010. The Materials Collections branch continues to source new opportunities to repurpose, upcycle or divert waste from landfill. Since 2010, the Toronto Zoo has successfully exceeded this target, achieving our highest waste diversion rate of 74% in 2017. Materials Collections are already investigating new recycling programs that will divert even more of the Zoo’s waste from landfill in order to meet the TransformTO Report’s objective of a zero-waste facility by 2030.

The Toronto Zoo continues to make progress towards achieving the 2007 Green Plan Greenhouse gas emission and water consumption reductions. Despite the opening of the new Wildlife Health Centre which uses more energy than the previous facility due to its


increase in size and services, the Toronto Zoo saw an overall 13% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions bringing us to 30% below our 1990 greenhouse gas emissions and a 3% reduction in potable water consumption where we are now 60.5% below our 1990 water consumption levels.

The above noted activities are highlights from the 2017 operating year from the Toronto Zoo. We continue to complete our mission and vision to reduce the carbon footprint of Zoo operations, increase awareness of climate change and sustainability practices and report to the public our actions in achieving the targets of the 2007 Green Plan. Operating procedures, sustainability practices and green initiatives implemented in previous years continue to operate and the Zoo is showing progress towards meeting or exceeding the 2027 targets for greenhouse gas emissions, waste diversion, and water consumption. Plans for 2018 will focus on potable water consumption, climate change awareness and


customer service opportunities, zero-waste management, environment restoration and large scale energy efficiency retrofit projects.


CONTACT: _______________________ Kyla Greenham Curator of Conservation & Environment [email protected] (416) 397-5202

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2017 ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES REPORT · 2017 Environmental Initiatives Report 2018-05-23 Page 2 of 16 Page 2 of 16 . GEZT provides an annual report to the CEO for presentation to