Zoos Victoria operate three world class zoos at Werribee, Healesville and Melbourne.
As a conservation organisation committed to fighting wildlife extinction, they understand their operations need to be ecologically responsible and lead-by-example when it comes to sustainability. As an organisation that sees over two million visitors, employs about 600 staff and cares for over 300 species of wildlife, many of whom require specialist conditions to survive, their zoos have an enormous environmental footprint.
Over the past four years, Zoos Victoria has concentrated on significantly decreasing this footprint. This was achieved through a number of projects, including composting approximately 750 tonnes of organic waste per year on site at Melbourne Zoo through an in-vessel composter and composting bays; installing 188 kW solar PVs; and upgrading the Butterfly House glass roof ceiling to high performance double glazing.
In 2012, Zoos Victoria achieved ISO 14001:2004 for their Environmental Management System and in March 2013, they became the first zoos in the world to be certified carbon neutral. In 2014, Zoos Victoria developed an Environmental Sustainability Investment Prospectus 2014-19 to plan and expedite environmental projects across their three zoos.