Hertfordshire Zoo Keepers Pick Nearly 600 kg of Waste : VIDEO: Paradise Wildlife Park Volunteers Pick Litter Equivalent in Weight to 715 Meerkats
Paradise Wildlife Park (PWP), a zoo in Hertfordshire, UK, has been raising environmental awareness through beach cleaning and school activities creating models of animals out of waste.
It is no secret that everyone needs to broaden their awareness when it comes to remaining sustainable. As a zoo, PWP said that the idea of an unsustainable future pulls at the heartstrings especially as the core message is to conserve and maintain wildlife.
However, Paradise which is claimed to be the number one tourist attraction in Hertfordshire said that it focuses on reducing the impact the park has on the world. This is done through the smallest steps and big plans too.
In 2018 Paradise set up a committee made up of dedicated staff members who care passionately about safeguarding the environment. The sustainability committee’s role at the park is to set initiatives and to lead by example. Through the voice of education, the committee will strive to create further awareness for the environment to the wider teams and visitors alike.
The committee has organised 45 hours volunteer work collecting litter in various locations in the UK. Collectively, Paradise picked up 573.75 kg litter from its own site, as well as Southend Beach, Lea Valley Park, Broxbourne Woods and Canvey Island.
The beach cleans were actioned to support the National Beach Clean 2019 movement with the team coming back with 8 bags of litter.
Another project the committee need felt needs a congrats is the HEART project. This was also a huge success for raising awareness for sustainability while also furthering relationships within the community.
Local schools took part in creating sculptures of animals out of waste materials. 100% of funds raised will be donated to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, to help fund a new anti-poaching and rehabilitation vehicle which will help endangered species such as those portrayed in our sculptures.
Over the summer of 2018 these sculptures were displayed across the park and auctioned in order to help raise important funds for conservationist efforts in Asia.
By the end of 2020 the committee hopes to reduce the carbon footprint of the park in general. Strategies such as implementing water fountains to discourage the use of plastic drinking containers on site. Improve the sustainability management of our new build projects by reducing waste and implementing sustainability enhancement to the design procedure.
Looking into the future, Paradise said that it would love to continue to be a zero to landfill site; further community relationships to improve safeguarding of the environment and to keep reducing single-use plastic.
A video explaining Paradise’s sustainability initiatives can be viewed below.
https://youtu.be/TfYejMJsCoo
