Officials from the Hattiesburg Zoo have spent the last few years test-driving different measures for conservation stability programs – led by Jeremy Cumpton, the zoo’s director of conservation, education and wildlife – in order to see how those measures would fit in among others at the facility to further “green” efforts.
The zoo has now taken the next step in that endeavor, recently installing a permanent Sustainability Station inside its gift shop to encourage year-round recycling. The zoo has accepted items such as cellphones, Mardi Gras beads and laptop computers for some time now, and for the first time is now open to take used or new flip-flops.
“Our brand-new addition is the flip-flops, which keeps them out of landfills, where they almost never decompose, and it certainly keeps them out of the ocean as much as possible,” said Rick Taylor, executive of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, which operates the zoo. “So we’ve been studying which (efforts) … people actually connect with, and thus bring these items.
“We’ve put a new, permanent station in the gift shop, which means you don’t have to pay admission to the zoo; you can just come by and drop off your cellphones or Mardi Gras beads or flip-flops. It’s really part of our mission, and it’s an education process to our local community that we don’t have to just throw everything in the trash; if you get them in the right space they can be re-used, and that’s good for the areas where our animals come from in the wild.”
The Mardi Gras Beads are sent to the ARC in New Orleans, where are they are repackaged to benefit that group, which supports individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. The electronics – specifically the cellphones – are repurposed, with those proceeds going to support conservation efforts for Great Apes around the world, including those in the wild and at refuges.
“By giving the public the chance to participate in conservation actions, we are showing them that everyone can make a difference,” Cumpton said. “What might seem like small actions actually compounds into so much over time, as more and more people participate.”
Taylor said the decision to locate the Sustainability Station in the zoo’s gift shop was a deliberate one to make it easier for participants to donate the aforementioned items.
“Let’s say your kids have torn up their flip-flops; you can just throw them in your car and drop the kids off at school, and maybe run by the zoo to drop (the flip-flops) off,” he said. “You don’t have to be admitted to the zoo to do it; that’s why we put it in the gift shop.”
Although the permanent station is a fairly new attraction, Taylor said it already has been popular with visitors and other individuals wishing to donate.
“The flip-flops just started, but we’ve had very positive comments and responses to it,” he said. “The beads, we’ve done for several years … and that has been such a huge success that we’re absolutely going to keep this thing.
“And of course, we’re very passionate about our ARC programs locally. For obvious reasons, beads are even a little more popular in New Orleans than here in Hattiesburg, so we’re pleased to benefit their ARC program too. And it really surprises me how many people come and drop off electronics – old laptops and things like that.”
