Party for the Planet – An Earth Day Celebration!

Posted April 12, 2010

CINCINNATI—Join the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day! Visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of activities, including: tours of the new Go Green Garden OPENING April 23, tours of the Zoo’s LEED certified projects, animal demonstrations, and eco-friendly kids’ crafts.  Visitors will also be able to meet with Zoo staff that will speak on sustainable lifestyles including recycling, composting, energy conservation, alternate transportation, land stewardship, water conservation, green building, local food, and sustainable products.  

The Celebration kicks off on Thursday April 22, with a free concert during Tunes & Blooms, from 6-8:30 p.m.! This night of music in the garden will feature the sounds of local favorites; Faux Frenchmen and Psychodots. Faux Frenchman is made up of acoustic sounds coming from guitar and bass mixed with the sounds of violin to create the wonderful sounds of jazz while the Psychodots is a hip trio that combines witty, heartfelt song writing with highly skilled musicianship and electric live performances. This free concert is part of the Tunes & Blooms series which takes place every Thursday in the month of April and features locally well-known artists. Admission is free after 5 p.m. (parking not included.) To celebrate Earth Day, over twenty eco-friendly vendors will have booths set up during the event handing out information and sharing ways visitors can  go green in their own lives.  

To continue the Earth Day celebration, Friday, April 23 is the Grand Opening of the Go Green Garden presented by Duke Energy. The exhibit highlights the Zoo’s green efforts in terms of green building design, energy efficiency, water conservation, storm water management, solid waste management, and land stewardship. Go Green Challenges throughout the exhibit present tangible suggestions for how visitors can address the same issues at home. The Go Green Garden also acts as the hub for botanical information in addition to its emphasis on going green.

Earth Day festivities will also include Special Keeper Conservation Talks on Saturday ONLY, where visitors will be able to meet the animal keepers! They will learn behind the scenes information and even see the keepers interact with the animals. 

Meet-A-Zookeeper Saturday ONLY Schedule:

Wings of the World                            10:00 a.m.

Manatee Springs                                 10.30 a.m.

World of the Insect                             11 a.m.           

Wildlife Canyon- Sumatran Rhino     11 a.m.

Elephant Reserve                                11 a.m.

Lords of the Arctic- Polar Bears         11:30 a.m.

Jungle Trails – Bonobo                       11:30 a.m.

Giraffe Ridge                                      Noon

Children’s Zoo- Otters                        12:30 p.m.

Rhino Reserve                                     12:40 p.m.      

Reptile House                                     12:45 p.m.

Giraffe Ridge                                      1:00 p.m.

Insect World                                       1:00 p.m.

Gorilla World                                      1:30 p.m.

While here, bring an old cell phone to recycle and receive $2 off adult and $1 off child’s admission Thursday – Sunday.  Recycling your phone will help reduce mining for coltan, an ore used in cell phones, in gorilla habitats. You will also be helping to raise money for the Zoo’s Conservation Fund. 

Go green and celebrate Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary on April 22- 24 with The Zoo! These events are FREE with regular Zoo Admission. Admission prices are $14/adults and $9/children (2-12).  Children under two are free, and parking is additional.  Bring an old cell phone to recycle and receive $2 off adult and $1 off a child’s admission. The Zoo opens daily at 9 a.m. For more information, please call (513) 281- 4700 or visit the Zoo’s website at www.cincinnatizoo.org.