Part of our team is in Long Beach this week for the AZA 2022 Mid-Year Meeting and Green Summit. We hope to see you there!

I traveled in from Omaha while my colleague Wayne Warrington — who organized this year’s Green Summit as part of the AZA’s Green Scientific Advisory Group (GSAG) — came in from Phoenix. Our Los Angeles-based colleague Belyna Bentlage is also joining us! The three of us are excited to meet new people in the zoo and aquarium profession and share our sustainability and climate action insights.

Wayne and I met last week to discuss a few of the things we’re most looking forward to:

• Wayne has been part of the GSAG for six years, during which he’s seen a transition toward a more holistic view of sustainability at zoos and aquariums. These institutions are now working to align and integrate sustainability across the organization, not just assigning it to one department. And rather than only tracking basic waste, water, and energy metrics, zoos and aquariums are implementing more sophisticated strategies that allow some to become regenerative — giving back more than they take.

• Belyna and I are facilitating the final workshop of the Green Summit. The workshop is called “Catalyzing Transformation” and will help attendees create an actionable plan using the lessons they learned in Long Beach. We’ll also teach a few of our favorite Technology of Participation facilitation methods that attendees can take back to their teams along with their draft action plan.

• The GSAG added free time between sessions to allow for more networking! We’re excited to use that opportunity to build new relationships that accelerate climate action.

(Photo by Bradley Pisney on Unsplash)