As part of the Detroit Zoological Society's "Greenprint" plan to lessen its facilities' environmental footprint, it announced that the Detroit Zoo will eventually have all its energy needs met by wind, solar and waste-to-energy power sources.

 

One such source is the Smartflower, a ground-mounted solar panel system that generates more than 4,000 kilowatts of electricity yearly. It is the first installation of the system at a U.S. zoo. Another source is an anaerobic digester, which converts animal waste and food scraps into energy, as well as compost, again the first one in the county at a zoo. And, travel within the zoo is being aided by the use of solar/electric golf carts and bicycles.

In addition, power will be provided by the Detroit-based DTE Energy's three new wind parks that plan to be operational by next year.