When the Zoo started planning for Polar Frontier, we knew its theme would be centered around climate change – after all, climate change is the biggest threat facing polar bears today. But, we didn’t want to just talk about climate change – we wanted to put our words into action, too. When we discovered that we’d have to reconfigure our water treatment facility and dig a new well for Polar Frontier, we decided to go the extra step and create a geo-thermal system in tandem with these projects. Adding the geo-thermal system meant the Zoo wouldn’t need to rely on fossil fuels to heat or cool the water and the air in the bear areas. And that meant we’d reduce our carbon footprint and save on our utility bills!
The geothermal system is a closed loop system – which means that the water in the system is continuously recycled within the system and no waste water is generated. It also means that the system is self-contained – it produces no waste! The Zoo will see a return on its investment in this system in about six years, and, even better, we’ll have “free” heating and cooling of the water and buildings in Polar Frontier for decades into the future! It’s a win for the Zoo and win for the environment!