PRESS ROOM

ROYAL OAK, Mich., 

The Detroit Zoo will host its fifth annual GreenFest on Saturday, April 22, 2017, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The zoo-wide event is dedicated to celebrating Earth Day and engaging the community in environmental stewardship.

GreenFest activities include chemistry demos, worm-composting education, zookeeper talks and a sustainability tour highlighting the Detroit Zoological Society’s (DZS) green efforts. Additionally, a travelling exhibition by Art Road will be unveiled during the event, illustrating the impact of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes.

All GreenFest activities are free with Zoo admission. Attendees who bring a cell phone for recycling receive a reduced admission price of $9. Admission is free for DZS members.

GreenFest is an initiative of the DZS Greenprint, a strategic plan to refine and improve green practices and facilities at the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center, incorporate sustainability in all policies and programs and improve green literacy and action in the community.

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

GreenFest is supported by DTE Energy and Kroger.