The Green Mountain Energy Sun Club®’s 80th solar project donation has just come to life in the form of ten solar-powered golf carts at the Philadelphia Zoo! This morning, Green Mountain and Zoo employees gathered to “flip the switch” on the brand new additions, funded by a $100,000 grant from the Sun Club. These solar carts will enhance the zoo’s existing sustainability initiatives while enabling zoo employees to get around the 42-acre park quicker and more efficiently.
Each solar-powered golf cart can generate enough clean energy to drive more than 1,600 miles annually, which is about the same as driving from the Zoo to the Statue of Liberty sixteen times!
“Every non-profit the Sun Club works with is unique, and every sustainability project is different,” said Tony Napolillo, executive director of the Sun Club. “Philadelphia Zoo was chosen to receive this solar donation because of its positive influence in the Philadelphia community, and its integrated conservation strategy that includes educational programming, wildlife conservation campaigns, and onsite operational sustainability.”
America's first zoo and one of the region's foremost conservation organizations, the Philadelphia Zoo is home to nearly 1,300 animals, many of which are rare and endangered. By connecting people with wildlife, the Zoo fosters joyful discovery and inspires action on behalf of animals and their habitats. The Philadelphia region’s leading family destination, the Zoo welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors last year.
The Zoo was selected for a Sun Club donation because of its existing sustainability initiatives, which include goals and supporting strategies for mitigating its environmental footprint in five key ways: Continuously improve energy efficiency, reduce, and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, consistently conserve and reuse water, thoughtfully manage stormwater on site, conserve resources and avoid the use of hazardous materials through waste diversion and green purchasing.
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