Since 2019, the Dallas Zoo has intentionally approached sustainability as a strategy that helps achieve its core mission to engage people and save wildlife. Through a co-creative sustainability planning process facilitated by Verdis Group, the Zoo built on existing efforts, aligned around key sustainability goals, and focused its efforts to take them to the next level.

We know people participate in what they help create. This philosophy aligned with the Zoo’s mission of engaging people and provided a collaborative and co-creative approach to the sustainability planning process.  The process involved employees from across the Zoo, including senior leadership and board members, a sustainability engagement survey, and a series of participatory workshops.

With everyone on board, Dallas Zoo achieved several early wins in its sustainability journey. These wins included significant reductions in water and energy usage, leading to cost savings and a strengthened commitment to composting. These achievements created positive momentum even before the plan was finalized. The clear and concise list of actionable strategies in the Sustainability Master Plan gave the Zoo team clarity and focus, aligning sustainability across the Zoo. The active involvement of the Zoo team in the planning process made sustainability more integral to its operations, and they were able to make progress on several strategies even during the pandemic with our support.

Another way Dallas Zoo has integrated sustainability into its operations is through upfront, thoughtful, sustainable design for its most ambitious capital campaign in the Zoo’s history. Expanding existing facilities will include new guest areas like cafes and walkways and create new animal habitats. Our team is working with the Zoo and project architects to incorporate more sustainable and climate-resilient design elements into the project.

To further cultivate a culture of sustainability, the Dallas Zoo created a Green Fund that invites staff from across the zoo to submit project ideas that help move toward the Zoo’s sustainability goals. Each year, the Zoo dedicates funding to sustainability projects that are ranked and prioritized based on environmental, financial, and impacts. Green Fund projects positively impact water usage, energy consumption, waste reduction, active commuting, and sustainability staff engagement aligned with the Dallas Zoo’s Sustainability Master Plan. In its first year, the fund supported new compost bins and a manure handler trough-filling project in animal barns.

As an ongoing sustainability implementation partner for Dallas Zoo, we look forward to driving progress toward the Zoo’s Sustainability Goals with both known and emergent strategies in the dynamic world of sustainability.