PRESS ROOM

ROYAL OAK, Mich., 

The Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) is paving the way for a more sustainable environment with a new parking lot – located off Woodward Avenue near the Polk Penguin Conservation Center – that utilizes a progressive green design. The lot’s 215 spaces will help accommodate the Detroit Zoo’s rising attendance while incorporating permeable pavement, which reduces storm water runoff and improves water quality by filtering pollutants.

Permeable pavement allows for the natural absorption of water beneath the surface, prevents excess storm water from damaging sewer systems, and minimizes underground pollutants. This practice was first implemented at the Zoo in 2015 with the construction of the Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness, which features visitor walkways made with porous pavement.

The Detroit Zoo’s new parking lot is the largest permeable pavement lot in Oakland County. When designing the lot, the DZS sought an eco-friendly alternative to using standard asphalt, driven by its Greenprint initiative – an award-winning roadmap for sustainable business practices.

“This lot represents another way we can reduce our ecological footprint,” said Ron Kagan, DZS executive director and CEO. “In all that we do, our goal is to make the most sustainable choices and encourage others to join us on our green journey.”

Recent efforts of the Greenprint include discontinuing the sale of bottled water on Zoo grounds – keeping 60,000 plastic bottles out of the waste stream annually – powering Detroit Zoo operations with 100% renewable electricity, and building an anaerobic digester which annually will convert 400 tons of animal manure into methane-rich gas to help power the Zoo’s animal hospital.