April is Earth Month, and while we encourage our community to be earth-friendly all year round, we’ll take the opportunity to really drive the message home during our 4^th annual “Party for the Planet” this Thursday, April 18. It’s a celebration of the Earth, and a festival for all things “green” in Cincinnati. Businesses and organizations from around the regions will be on hand at the Greenest Zoo in America to share their expertise and resources about living more sustainability within our communities. Topics include solar energy, composting, recycling, energy efficiency, green building, rain gardens/barrels, sustainable food, green products, and many more.

In addition to learning ways to go green, also visit the Go Green Garden for the Rain Barrel Painting Event, hosted by the Cincinnati Zoo, Save Local Waters and the Regional Stormwater Collaborative. Rain barrels are an easy and inexpensive way to conserve water and save money, and for homeowners to take one small action that collectively will have a major impact on our local environment. Local artists have done their part to motivate area homeowners to save rainwater in dazzling beautiful rain barrels. The typical dull green or drab rain barrel has been revamped into a creative and colorful accent piece that will make any homeowner proud to use in their landscaping. Participate in the People’s Choice Award and vote for your favorite painted rain barrel online. Guests will be able to bid on their favorite barrels for purchase during a silent auction from 6:30-8pm.

Cohen, the official electronics recycling partner of the Cincinnati Zoo, is sponsoring an e-waste collection event during Party for the Planet. Recycle your unwanted e-waste with the Zoo’s certified e-waste recycler, where your electronics will be recycled in a responsible way and all data storage devices cleared properly. For every item donated, Cohen will make a donation to the Zoo’s Project Saving Species.

A convenient drive through drop-off will be set up in the Zoo’s parking lot on the corner of Erkenbrecher and Vine Street. Guests can drop off their items between 4 and 8pm before heading into the Zoo to enjoy Tunes & Blooms and Party for the Planet! Acceptable items include: personal computers, keyboards, servers, mice, routers, wires, switches, laptops, modems, rechargeable batteries, telephones, small home appliances, docking stations, printers, LCD screens, cell phones, fax machines, copiers, speakers, cable/satellite boxes, CRT monitors, TVs, stereos/VCRs, and remotes. A $10 cash fee will be charged for each CRT monitor and TV (27″ or under) collected. TVs larger than 27” will be charged $20 cash.

To learn more about Cohen and the electronics recycling programs, visit cohenusa.com

Party for the Planet takes place during Tunes & Blooms, a weekly concert Thursdays in April, featuring local musicians. This Thursday Shiny & the Spoon and Shiny Old Soul will be performing. It is a wonderful way to enjoy the beautiful tulips and other spring flowers the Zoo has planted, listen to some great, local music, learn about ways to go green, and enjoy the spring evening with your family and friends. And, enjoy Zoo Blooms all around.

The Party occurs from 4-8:30pm and is free with Zoo admission. Admission to the Zoo is FREE after 5pm and parking is $8

The Zoo has been composting much of its organic waste for over a year now, and has recently begun composting in the Zoo Café. All of the plates, napkins, cutlery and most of the cups are compostable, as well as all of your food scraps.

Did you know that you can compost too, just like that Zoo? You can transform your kitchen and yard waste into a rich, nutritious compost for your garden.  It’s easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Save the peels, cores, skins, etc. from your food scraps. Mix in with leaves, grass clippings, twigs, etc. into a compost bin or pile.
2. Turn your compost bin or pile every once in awhile, and make sure it is as wet as a wrung out sponge.
3. About 3 months later, your food and yard waste will have decomposed into rich, nutritious compost. It should smell like good, earthy soil, be a rich dark color and you shouldn’t be able to recognize anything in it (i.e. a banana peel).

About 60% of overall household waste is compostable. By turning this waste into rich compost, you can keep it out of the landfill and provide your plants with chemical free, nutrient rich soil amendments.

DO Compost in your Backyard Bins/Piles:

• Fruit & Vegetable Scraps such as orange peels, apple cores, watermelon rinds, carrot tops, potato peels, grape stems, pistachio shells, etc.
• Coffee grinds and tea bags
• Leaves
• Grass clippings
• Straw
• Twigs and wood chips

DO NOT Compost in your Backyard Bins/Piles:

• Dairy Products
• Meat/Fish
• Oils
• Pet Waste
• Weed Seeds

There are great resources around the City to help get your started, including compost bins sold at Park+Vine, classes and information given by the Civic Garden Center or Hamilton County Recycling & Solid Waste District, compost blogs, and  many more.

Next Tuesday, April 17^th, the Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District will be hosting a Composting Seminar right here at the Cincinnati Zoo at 6:30pm. Registration is required as space is limited.  Details can be found here.

Get started with turning your trash into treasure! Save space in the landfill, create rich compost and watch your garden grow.

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.