Eight Facts about the Greenest Zoo in America

The second oldest zoo in country, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden was proclaimed the “Greenest Zoo in America” in 2010 and has held that title uncontested ever since.

The southwest Ohio zoo has been committed to the conservation of plants and animals since 1875 and for the past 10 years has continued to lead the way in sustainability by greening its daily operations and reducing its impact on the environment.

“One of the items that we are most proud of as a zoo is the amount of water we have saved,” says Fia Cifuentes, sustainable communities advocate for the zoo, which launched a major reduction effort in 2006. “We were using upwards of 220 million gallons of water per year, which is crazy. We were one of the largest users of water in the city of Cincinnati. Last year in 2014, we used 52 million gallons – that’s incredible.”

Here are eight things to know about this forward-thinking zoo.