Days spent at Dublin Zoo are the best. No matter what your age is you’re bound to come away having learnt something! Here’s 5 things though that you’d never know from a day out at Dublin’s best family attraction
Eco Explorer
SSE Airtricity is the official Sustainability Partner to Dublin Zoo. They’ve created a bespoke Eco Explorer Sustainability Trail, supported by SSE Airtricity’s Eco Explorer interactive app. The app showcases 10 Eco Explorer sustainability stations for parents and kids alike to discover, enhancing enjoyment and learning all across Dublin Zoo. You can learn while you explore! Did you know that Dublin Zoo harvests rainwater in huge storage tanks to help flush each of its public toilets! Indeed, even the rainwater harvesting tanks are recycled from part of the water filtration system at Dublin Zoo’s old sea lion pool.
Big Numbers
Over 1 million people visit Dublin Zoo each year, exploring 28 hectares of parks and gardens. There’s over 400 animals in the Zoo now!
Composting
Elephants and Dublin Zoo produce about 1,000 tonnes of manure a year which is used to make compost. What they don’t use either goes to a farm in Kildare or to a green waste composting facility. Mulching the beds with this ‘homemade’ compost helps keep down weeds and makes the green spaces more attractive to look at as you explore the Zoo.
Water Refill
The average person now drinks 45 litres of bottled water per year. By installing two water refill stations in Dublin Zoo along the sustainability trail Dublin Zoo & SSE Airtricity are encouraging visitors to use reusable water bottles,
Plastic Recycling
Dublin Zoo collects a lot of rubbish and with over 1 million visitors each year that’s no surprise. They try to recycle as much as possible for example the picnic benches located around Dublin Zoo are made from 350,000 recycled milk cartons. Think about that the next time you stop for a snack on the trail!
