March 14, 2011

DENVER ZOO HONORED AS FIRST BICYCLE FRIENDLY ZOO
Zoo First Business in Denver to Be Named Bicycle Friendly Business by League of American Bicyclists

Denver Zoo has earned a Silver-Level Bicycle Friendly Business award from the League of American Bicyclists. Denver Zoo is the first business in the city of Denver and first zoo recognized in the nation for this award.

Denver Zoo earned the silver-level recognition based on the zoo’s commitment to encourage bicycling among its employees and visitors. Businesses are judged on four categories for the honor, including encouragement, engineering, education and evaluation.  The League of American Bicyclists is based in the nation’s capital and promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation.

The categories’ criteria require businesses to:

• Encourage cycling by providing transportation related benefits.
• Make a significant investment in its bicycle facilities and have invested in making the streets around the workplace bicycle friendly.  
• Provide all employees with educational materials, regularly-scheduled safety classes and actively promote safe bicycling.
• Have employees who bike to work more than twice a week.

Denver Zoo encourages its employees year-round to use alternative transportation for commuting through its work place conservation committee and the Zoo’s Wild Ride program. Employees are offered various incentives to persuade them to reduce single-occupancy-vehicle (SOV) commuting throughout the year. In 2010, Denver Zoo employees increased use of bicycling to work by 12 percent over 2009. In 2010, several employees entered the Wild Ride challenge to give up their cars for commuting to work for an entire year. Director of Communications Tiffany Barnhart gave up her car as a method of commuting to work on July 1, 2010 and has earned several prizes, including a bike being custom made for her from Fort Collins-based Panda Bicycles, a “Sentinel” messenger bag and jacket from Mountain Hardwear, bike maintenance sponsored in part by Jackrabbit Bike and Trail, a chiropractic treatment from Petersen Chiropractic, LLC, a free massage from Everett Wolfe, CMT, gear from Green Guru Gear, a Netbook sponsored in part by Verizon Wireless and a one night stay at Hotel Monaco-Denver.

Denver Zoo promotes and hosts many cycling events throughout the year, including Bike to Work Day and several bike rides organized by BikeDenver.org. The zoo also encourages guests to ride bikes during free days to avoid parking lot tie-ups because of large crowds.