One of the main goals of Knoxville Zoo is the conservation of natural resources. The Green Team was designed to create, implement and manage the many green practices of Knoxville Zoo. We have had many successes in captive breeding, education, and wildlife reintroduction; and we continue to make strides in these areas. But the Green Team was designed to help monitor resources at the zoo, make suggestions for more efficient use of these resources, and to act as a sounding board for green ideas and troubleshooting. Zoo staff members voluntarily serve on the committee and put its ideas into practice throughout the zoo's operations.

Below is a list of some of the ways Knoxville Zoo conserves resources. Look through the list and see if there are ideas you can use in your home or office.

Animal Care
* Re-use yougurt cups, margarine containers, etc. when preparing animal diets.
* Re-use items for animal enrichment including old tires, phone books, newspaper, burlap, etc.
* Use commercial recycled paper for animal bedding.

Cleaning
* Use washable towels instead of paper towels.
* Wash only full loads of laundry.
* Re-use plastic grocery bags and zip-lock bags.
* Use re-useable vinyl table cloths for company picnics.
* Prudent use of cleaning supplies.

Electricity
* Use low-wattage lamps instead of large flourescent ceiling lights.
* Turn off lights when out of the room.
* Turn off computers at the end of the day.
* Use energy saving settings to set computers to "sleep" when not in use.

General
* Cut used paper into squares for note paper.
* Re-use envelopes for internal communication.
* Re-use scrap paperfor printing draft documents and copying internal documents.
* Print and copy double-sided as much as possible.
* Use e-mail for memos and other internal communication.
* Use a central bulletin board instead of multiple memos.
* Recycle ink cartridges.
* Re-use manila file folders by applying new labels.
* Purchase office supplies that contain recycled fiber or are printed with soy ink.
* Store data electronically instead of printing.
* Brochures are designed for minimum waste using only one 2-sided panel instead of tri-fold.
* Rubber bands from commissary vegetables are used for office supplies.

Recycling
* Recycle office paper and mixed paper (paperboard, envelopes, books, etc.).
* Recycle plastic bottles / containers.
* Recycle tin and aluminum cans.
* Recycle corrugated cardboard.
* Reuse / recycle zoo maps.

Visitor Services
* Refill sipper cup program saves paper cups.
* Minimum use of non-biodegradable food service items.
* Do not use disposable straws and lids. Use wood stir sticks. Plastic utensils rarely used.
* Request vendors minimize all packaging. The message is stated on all purchase order forms.
* Re-use bubble wrap for Zoo Shop packaging.
* Cut tissue paper in half, to save both money and paper.

Staff / Volunteers
* Job descriptions encourage conservation of zoo's and the earth's resources.
* Orientation and training manuals include zoo's mission and conservation message.
* Volunteer manual is on disk. Printed versions are available only upon request.