Celebrate Earth Day, and Earth Month, by attending one of the many festival and celebrations around town.

The Zoo is celebrating this Thursday, April 19th with it’s 3rd Annual Party for the Planet! The party starts at 4pm and goes until 8:30pm. It is free with admission, and admission is free after 5pm. 30 exhibitors will be lined up along Swan Lake Bridge, ready to share resources and information so that you can go green in your own home. Many are family friendly with kids activities. During the celebration, 2trg will be collecting e-waste from 4-6:30pm in the parking lot on the corner of Erkenbrecher Ave. and Vine St. Bring your old computers, printers, CD players, cables, telephones and more for free e-waste recycling. Enjoy the Tunes and Blooms free concert that will be happening at the same time!

On Saturday, April 21st from Noon-5pm, Cincinnati’s Earth Day Celebration will be in full swing at Sawyer Point. Enjoy live music, kids activities, earth friendly exhibitors and vendors, live animals and much more. The Cincinnati Zoo will be hosting a booth complete with our green story as well as friendly, furry, feathery and scaly Zoo friends. Come down and visit us!

Can’t make it to a festival? Celebrate with your family by spending the day talking about ways to help the Earth, and do eco-friendly activities around your house. Compost, build a bird feeder, plant a garden, clean your house with natural ingredients, create art using natural materials and more.

The proper disposal of electronic waste has become a major concern of businesses large and small.  This FREE seminar this Thursday at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is designed to help business and nonprofit leaders learn best practices for safe and responsible electronics disposal and recycling.  The seminar is presented by 2trg, in partnership with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Green Umbrella & the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environmental Quality. We hope you can join us! The seminar takes place this Thursday, March 29th from 3:30-5:30pm.

Our special guest speaker is Mike Enberg, the e-Stewards Enterprise Manager with the Basel Action Network based in Seattle, Washington.  Founded in 1997, BAN has become the leading global source of information and advocacy on toxic trade and international hazardous waste treaties.  It has developed market-based solutions that rely on the highest standards for globally responsible recycling and rigorous independent certification to those standards.

Mike will address the following topics relevant to all businesses and organizations:

• Current e-waste disposal regulations
• Best practices for creating an electronic waste recycling program for your organization with an emphasis on protecting assets and limiting risk
• Differences in the two accredited e-waste recycler certification standards: R2 & e-Stewards
• Why businesses and organizations should work with certified recyclers
• Participation in the e-Stewards Enterprise program

Learn more about sustainable practices from the Cincinnati Zoo, hailed as “the greenest Zoo in America”; 2trg, who recently earned the prestigious e-Stewards and R2 certifications; Green Umbrella, the region’s sustainability initiative; and the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environmental Quality, responsible for the Green Cincinnati Plan.

Space is limited for this seminar so please RSVP today at: http://technologyrecyclingseminar.eventbrite.com/. Admission and parking to the Zoo is FREE for seminar participants.

There are 3 green classes (two topics) this October. I hope you can make it to learn about ways to reduce waste! Each class is free, but space is limited! To reserve your spot and receive your free ticket, visit our e-ticketing store.

October 10, 6pm: E-Waste Recycling

2trg, an e-waste (electronic waste) recycler and pledged e-Steward, will address a growing problem that affects everyone – increasing amounts of electronic waste caused by technology obsolescence.  2trg will explain the problems associated with recycling e-waste, discuss solutions offered by the recycling industry, and teach you what to look for when choosing an electronics recycler.

October 17, 6pm & October 24, Noon: Worm Composting

Join representatives from Hamilton County Soil and Water District to learn about how easy it is to vermicompost at home. See a working worm bin first hand and learn about the do’s and don’ts to maintaining your own worm bin. Information will be given about vermicomposting as well as where to get worms to start your own system. Bring your questions and learn all about how worms can eat your garbage!

Questions? Contact gogreen@cincinnatizoo.org