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ROYAL OAK — The Detroit Zoo will be hosting the annual Greenfest celebration April 12 and 13 to promote sustainability and celebrate the earth.
The event will be taking place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both days at the Detroit Zoo, 8450 W. 10 Mile Road in Royal Oak.
The two-day event will be packed with eco-friendly activities to help teach attendees how to make a positive impact on the environment each day.
“Greenfest is really a celebration of the work that we do here at the zoo nature center, as well as out in the community with these wonderful organizations that come in and share their missions with guests,” events supervisor Marissa Ratzenberger said. “It’s a way for guests to interact with topics they already know about and are passionate about, and are acting on, as well as learning something new and finding a new passion they want to act on.”
The event will be showcasing local environmental groups and organizations, including a sustainable marketplace, sustainable food options, animal engagements throughout the zoo, hands-on educational activities, live music, themed photo opportunities and more, according to detroitzoo.org/events/greenfest.
Ratzenberger said that there will be more than 25 environmental organizations at Greenfest sharing their mission and leading activities.
“We have had some organizations that have been here for many, many years, and then we have others that this is their first year. So, we are super excited.” she said.
The organizations will be located along the main stretch of the zoo near the fountain.
“The local environmental organizations will be sharing their work and also actions that guests can take with our visitors that weekend,” she said. “They will have plenty of hands-on activities and a really great array of educational materials and different experiences for guests.”
Along with these organizations will be sustainable food options to enjoy while visiting the zoo.
“There will be at least one food truck per day at the zoo, and then we will also have some highlighted items on our regular menu, items around the concessions and specifically at Table 28,” Ratzenberger said. “At Table 28, our concessions staff is going to highlight some of those greener options on the menu.”
The “Mindfully Made Market” is going to be another hot spot during the Greenfest, located at the Rackham Memorial Fountain. The market will include local companies or organizations that sell sustainable goods.
“It could be anything from a reusable item to a refillable item or something that was made from sustainably sourced materials,” Ratzenberger said. “Guests will be able to interact with those products as well as purchase those products.”
Another major aspect of the Greenfest comes from the e-recycling event. Visitors can bring old electronics to the e-recycling event in the 10 Mile Road parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon April 12 and 13 and earn a free ticket to the zoo.
Chloe Pyne, sustainability coordinator for the Detroit Zoo, said that the zoo partners with a Michigan-based recycler, Padnos, to get rid of the electronic materials in a safe way.
“The electronics are cleared of any important information, and then if electronics are reusable, they would be carried and put back into the market as they are, or if they are not reusable, they will be broken down for the various metals or plastics that they are comprised of, then be recycled as a commodity,” Pyne said.
Pyne said that the Detroit Zoo got involved with Padnos because of a shared importance to protect the information on the electronics.
“They have the highest recycling standards and certification, and they align with our protection of information with electronics,” she said. “They have also really stepped up and had fun with us, kind of helping to create these events and enhancing them to make them more user friendly.”
Pyne said that the benefit to recycling at the Detroit Zoo instead of at a big box store is the opportunity to keep the recycled materials locally.
“The importance of keeping it local is you’re reducing the transportation miles and the carbon emissions that come with said transportation,” Pyne said.
Last year, the e-recycling event gathered more than 160,000 pounds of materials. That is about eight full semi-trailers, according to Pyne.
“Greenfest and e-recycling are some great Earth Month activities to kind of support the commitment to enhancing environmental resilience,” Pyne said.
To receive a ticket to the zoo, bring one large electronic item or fill a 17-gallon or larger tub with electronics. An entire trunk or back seat full of electronics will get two zoo tickets.
Acceptable recyclable electronics include all TVs and monitors, printers, computers and laptops, cellphones and tablets, holiday lights, cords and other wire, DVD and VHS players, radios, and small electronics.
All personal information should be deleted from electronic devices before recycling.
For more information on Greenfest, visit detroitzoo.org/events/greenfest. For more information on the e-recycling event, visit detroitzoo.org/events/e-recycling-at-greenfest.
