From the News: Maryland Zoo Says It's Now Free of Single-Use Plastics

Maryland Zoo Says It's Now Free of Single-Use Plastics

Every summer, many zoos and aquariums (as well as other organizations)across the country participate in "Plastic Free July," an effort to reduce the number of single-use plastics that are one of the major sources of pollution.  For the past several years, the reigning champion has been the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.  Whether they can pull it off again this year is uncertain, as competition is stiff (as we'd hope it would be).  No matter who wins the competition, though, Maryland Zoo has still made its mark by making an impressive commitment - no more single use plastics.

At least not what it control.  If you order supplies, they tend to come in plastic that you might not anticipate.  Still, the food services are going plastic free - paper condiment cups, a transition to washable plates and bowls, wooden spoons for ice cream.  Plastic water bottles are also phased out.  Vending machines now sell aluminum bottles of water (aluminum being much more recyclable than plastic), and water bottle refilling stations are set up around the zoo.

It's good to remind visitors that "conservation" isn't just something that happens in far away countries full of exotic animals.  It's what we do in our daily lives that makes a difference to wild animals and wild places - especially the "wild places" that don't seem so wild - our own backyards.