Press Releases

Toronto, ON (Thursday, September 10, 2015) Today, the Toronto Zoo unveiled its’ 2015 Earth Flag and encourages visitors to sign the flag to demonstrate their commitment to addressing climate change. By signing the flag, visitors are taking the following pledge: “I pledge to make Earth Day® Every day and reduce my carbon footprint.” The Toronto Zoo has partnered with Earth Day® Canada to help them reach their goal of 1 million signatures.  The signatures collected at the Toronto Zoo will then be incorporated into the Flag that Earth Day® Canada is taking to Paris, France in December for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference – COP21.

“The Earth Flag reflects the collective resolve of people to do their part to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change,” announced Earth Day® Canada President Deborah Doncaster.  “Signing the Earth Flag is an easy and tangible way to demonstrate our collective resolve to reduce carbon, and it unifies many voices and commitments of Canadians in one central place.“

Taking part in the unveiling and adding their signatures were Mr. Raymond Cho, Chair, Toronto Zoo Board of Management, Mr. John Tracogna, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Zoo and members of the Toronto Zoo Board of Management.

“It is critical that we take actions now to reduce our carbon footprint to ensure a healthy planet for future generations.  The Toronto Zoo has been a leader in many conservation initiatives and I am proud of their accomplishments,” said Mr. Cho.

Each year the Toronto Zoo celebrates Earth Day® with a number of special activities and events to demonstrate to our visitors how they can contribute to a healthy and clean planet which will lead to a healthy wildlife population.

“We are honoured to be working with Earth Day® Canada to help them reach their goal of 1 million signatures.  On behalf of our staff, volunteers, members, visitors and the 5,000 animals that are in our care, we are committed to working together to ensure we have a healthy environment for future generations,” said Mr. Tracogna.

The 2015 Earth Flag is located inside the Zoo's front entrance and will be on display until October 22, 2015. To sign the flag online, or to find out more about the Toronto Zoo's conservation efforts, CLICK HERE .

Did you know the Toronto Zoo has been recycling items and composting organic materials at the Zoo for the past 40 years? Here are a few examples of how the Toronto Zoo is helping to protect our planet.

In 1988 the Zoo created a set directive to divert waste from landfills, including items such as, plastics, light bulbs, batteries and skids. By 2007 the Zoo reduced its waste to landfill rate by 50%! By 2012, 70% of our waste was diverted from landfill.

The Toronto Zoo is also actively involved in numerous recycling programs such as TerraCycle, a program that recycles traditionally non-recyclable items such as printer cartridges and PhoneApes, a cell phone recycling program.