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Two decades ago, the N.C. Zoo mapped out a plan to be more environmentally friendly.

Before Asheboro looked into biodiesel. Before Randolph County offered curbside recycling. Before “going green” was all the rage.

“We’re a conservation organization, and we should be doing green practices, and we should be modeling that for our visitors,” said Mary Joan Pugh , the zoo’s chief of staff who also oversees conservation efforts there. “Because if you care about the environment, then you need to be good stewards.”

The focus on conservation and the environment is spelled out in the zoo’s environmental policy, she said.

Through the years, the zoo has added more pieces.

Solar panels on the picnic pavilions generate enough energy to operate 15 homes per year. A computerized water management system saves about 1.5 million gallons a year. Handling its own compost — 2,700 tons last year — saves $250,000 annually and creates fertilizer that can be used at the zoo.

The zoo also puts together information on the projects to inform the public about conservation efforts, Pugh said. The next project, a wetlands area, will open in September.

But that conservation and environmental awareness is working its way across the county now.

“It’s kind of gone through waves, when nobody’s recycling then everybody’s recycling,” Pugh said.
Recycling’s hot again, as are other efforts to go green.

Asheboro began offering curbside recycling about three years ago but has had recycling drop-off sites for closer to 20 years, said City Manager John Ogburn . Its latest green effort: exploring biodiesel. “We’re till trying to figure out what would be best for us,” he said.

The city also took advantage of a program through Progress Energy a few years ago to retrofit heating and air conditioning systems to be controlled by computers, making them more efficient, Ogburn said.

Randolph County is pursuing federal stimulus money for a similar project.

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez@news-record.com