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***News Release*** EARTH DAY UNVEILS GREENIE’S CONSERVATION CORNER AT THE SAN FRANCISCO ZOO Sustainable Space Opens for Visitors to Inspire Green Practices
SAN FRANCISCO (March 29, 2010) – The San Francisco Zoo will celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2010 with a grand unveiling of Greenie’s Conservation Corner, a sustainable and environmental space that will interactively engage the community and help inspire “green” practices. The opening ceremonies will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will be followed by an array of earthy activities until noon.
Greenie’s Conservation Corner is 4,000 square feet and features an organic garden with growing food for some of the Zoo’s animals, historical 1906 earthquake shack, working rain barrel harvesting system, solar powered fountain, wind turbine, worm farm, drip irrigation, water- wise gardens, bat houses, beehives and more.
“The Zoo is committed to not only the conservation of all fauna, but also the conservation of our planet,” said Joe Fitting, vice president of education and conservation at the San Francisco Zoo. “Greenie’s Conservation Corner is an open space where families can learn sustainable practices that they can do at home, school or within the community.”
The Salesforce.com Foundation has been an integral player in the creation and development of Greenie’s Conservation Corner. Through volunteer projects and Community Action Team grants, Salesforce.com and the Zoo have turned this old exhibit into a beautiful conservation space that will engage and educate people of all ages.
For the grand opening of Greenie’s Conservation Corner, 42 first grade elementary school students from Harvey Milk Academy and 60 third grade students from Fairmount, will help kick off the celebratory event, along with a beautiful Harris hawk from the Zoo’s Animal Resource Center. Salesforce.com volunteers will also help commemorate the occasion by assisting students with a take-home seed and potting project. The materials and supplies for this project, as well as much of Greenie’s Conservation Corner, was made possible by the Salesforce.com Foundation.
Additional activities taking place will include a recycled art project led by SCRAP, the Scroungers Center for Reusable Art Parts, and a hands-on earth-building project with the Ecology Center of San Francisco.
In addition to the opening of Greenie’s Conservation Corner, the Zoo will commemorate Earth Day with the creation of a special Green Fund. Starting Thursday, April 22 through Wednesday, April 28 a percentage of the proceeds from all specially marked “green merchandise” sold at the Lemur Café and Wildlife Connection will go towards the fund. The funds will then be used for ongoing green initiatives and conservation programs at the San Francisco Zoo. Also, as part of the Zoo’s ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, two new 14-passenger solar trams, donated by the Solar Electric Vehicle Company, will soon be available for VIP and other specialty tours. Currently, you can see one of the trams on display at the Main Entrance of the Zoo.
The San Francisco Zoo would like to thank a handful of organizations and individuals for all their support and assistance in making Greenie’s Conservation Corner a reality – Akeena Solar, Blue Green Pacific Inc., HOK Architects + Planners, Pulu Construction, SalesForce.com Foundation, San Francisco Museum & Historical Society & Western Neighborhoods Project, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and long-time Zoo Docent and Guardian Gail Secchia.
Greenie’s Conservation Corner will be open daily for visitors to enjoy and is located across from the Patas Lawn.
About the San Francisco Zoo Encompassing 100 acres, the historic San Francisco Zoo is Northern California’s largest zoological park. The Zoo is home to exotic and rescued animals from all over the world and is located across from the Pacific Ocean. The African Savanna offers a multi-species landscape with giraffes, zebras, kudu, ostriches and more. Go nose to nose with famed grizzly sisters Kachina and Kiona at Grizzly Gulch; watch lemurs leap through the largest outdoor lemur habitat in the country; visit Penguin Island; marvel at our troop of gorillas; and feed farm animals in the popular Children’s Zoo. Take rides on one of the world’s only old-fashioned miniature steam trains and the historic Dentzel Carousel. The Zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is located at 1 Zoo Road, San Francisco (415) 753-7080. Visit www.sfzoo.org for more information.
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