The Oakland County Board of Commissioners has partnered with the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, MI for the 6th annual GreenFest on Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. GreenFest is as a zoo-wide event dedicated to celebrating Earth Day and a wonderful way to engage the community in environmental stewardship.
On April 14, GreenFest will feature a sustainability tour of the Detroit Zoo’s anaerobic digester that annually converts 500 tons of animal manure and other organic waste into methane-rich gas to help power the zoo’s animal hospital, educational rain gardens, farm-to-table food options, a composting program, and other initiatives. They will have myriad activities such as chemistry demonstrations, zookeeper talks, opportunities to create window decals to prevent bird strikes, and much more. A 16-foot ground-mounted solar system called the SmartFlower™ will be featured blooming in the zoo’s garden just east of their Carousel. The system is expected to generate more than 4,000 kilowatts of electricity annually, which will power the 36-foot ride as well as other areas of the Detroit Zoo.
In addition, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners will have information tables with valuable information about conservation programs and green initiatives provided by Oakland County. Partner agencies include Oakland County Community & Home Improvement, Oakland County Parks & Recreation, Michigan State University Extension/4-H, North Oakland Household Hazardous Waste Program, and the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency.
“This is a great opportunity to partner with the Detroit Zoo on a project that is so important,” said County Commissioner Gary R. McGillivray, who spearheaded the partnership. “So many families are living on tight budgets and this event will give them ideas on how to save – from making their homes warmer in the winter to gardening and growing their own food.”
GreenFest is an initiative of the Detroit Zoo’s Greenprint, a comprehensive strategic plan to refine and improve facilities and daily practices, develop new policies and programs, and improve green literacy in the community, which includes their three-year initiative to discontinue the sale of bottled water.
Come out and enjoy this inspirational and educational Earth Day celebration with the Detroit Zoo and Oakland County Board of Commissioners on Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Detroit Zoo at 8450 W. 10 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48067. The first 1,000 guests to visit the anaerobic digester educational display will receive a token for a 5-gallon bucket, courtesy of The Home Depot Foundation, to be filled with free Detroit Zoo Poo – an herbivore compost processed in the Detroit Zoo’s anaerobic digester and produced in partnership with Detroit Dirt.
All GreenFest activities are free with Zoo admission. If purchasing tickets in advance, admission is $14 for adults and $11 for children ages two (2) and up, seniors, and active military with ID. The cost for parking is $8. For full pricing details, visit https://detroitzoo.org/visit/pricing/ The event is sponsored by DTE Energy’s MiGreenPower, Kroger, and Pure Oakland Water.
For more information about GreenFest, please contact BOC Analyst Connie Srogi at 248-858-4078 or srogic@oakgov.com. For more information about the Oakland County Board of Commissioners and its programs, please visit www.oakgov.com/boc or call 248-858-0100.
Visit The Detroit Zoo online for details on GreenFest and their long-term green journey and follow along with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Looking for more ways to get environmentally involved? Follow along with us using #OaklandCounty on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages, or visit our website.