McKenzie Towne School and DouglasdaleSchool together collected 144 old cell phones and other small electronics in
the weeks before McKenzie Town School visited Zoo School. On their final day
the class visited the TransAlta Rainforest to drop them off. The students took
turns putting the old phones in to the recycling box and then sat observing the
gorilla troop; the species that benefits most from cell phone recycling.
Every class
taking part in Zoo School is encouraged to take an action or actions to help
wildlife conservation before, during or after their Zoo School week.
Thank you to
McKenzie Town School and Douglasdale School for their superb effort in supporting
wildlife conservation!
How does
recycling cell phones help gorillas?
A mineral
called coltan is used to coat the electronic components that are part of every
cell phone. Coltan is mined in areas where gorillas live. By recycling
your phone, you are helping to reduce the amount of coltan mined, which
can lead to preserving natural gorilla habitat. By keeping cell
phones out of the landfill you will also prevent toxic chemicals from leaching
into landfills and groundwater.
All money
raised from recycled phones are directed to the Calgary Zoo’s conservation
research projects.
Steps you
can take:
·
Collect as many old, unused cell phones as you can
·
Bring them down to the Calgary Zoo on your next
visit. Phones may be dropped off at
Guest Relations as you enter the zoo, in the TransAlta Rainforest building or
at Zoo Security
Blog Entry submitted by: Dawn Hardy, Zoo School Ambassador
