The Toronto Zoo has come up with an innovative, if not original, plan to convert animal and food waste into biogas using bacteria to generate electricity. The zoo has over 5000 animals, so the zoo rightly belives that not only could it fulfill its own energy requirements, but could also have enough surplus leftover to power a few thousand homes.

The zoo needs $13 million to build the biogas facility, but the City of Toronto has refused to fund it, even though the zoo estimates that it could recoup the costs in 5 years by selling electricity.

2008 is turning out to be one of the most successful years in the zoo’s 34 year history, with a forecast of 1.3 million visitors by year-end. The Toronoto Zoo is accredited by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums. And they’re launching a whopping $250-million fundraising campaign.

So, on the surface, it looks like a well-run establishment which shouldn’t have any trouble raising funds for a clean energy project. But, if you dig deeper, there’s a lot of trouble going on at the zoo. Board members take costly exotic trips and junkets to foreign countries on the Zoo’s dime which are ostensibly meant to be fact-finding missions. City Councillors show their largesse by handing out hundreds of free zoo passes to their supporters and friends.

Also, in September, the Zoo broke off relations with its volunteer fundraising arm, and the two seperate divisions are now due in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Dec. 18  to resolve the dispute over a residue $12 million which the zoo wants, but is currently in possession of the fundraising arm.

Photo by Michael Gorman via flickr (creative commons).

Posted on November 17th, 2008 by PLing
Filed under: Travel News