Sustainability Guiding Principles

Denver Zoo has a rich and meaningful heritage as an organization committed to the conservation of animals across the globe and as a leader in the animal care field. Our commitment to species conservation extends to our commitment to protect the environment and our Denver Zoo community through our sustainability programs embodied in our Environmental Management System (EMS).

These sustainability guiding principles inform the zoo’s strategic focus and decision-making in the context of our operations and all of the activities, products and services we provide for our zoo community. Denver Zoo’s community (zoo community) represents our zoo staff, volunteers, guests, members, donors, vendors, partners, zoo and aquarium industry and the communities in which we live and work. Denver Zoo’s leadership is committed to these guiding principles to help Denver Zoo serve as leaders in conservation and accomplish our mission of inspiring communities to save wildlife for future generations.

Denver Zoo’s guiding principles for sustainability

We are committed to protect the environment:

by preventing pollution;
by inspiring our zoo community to join us in support of our mission;
by communicating Denver Zoo’s actions to mitigate the impact of climate change and other sustainability issues in an effort to protect wild animals and wild places;
by empowering our zoo community to take appropriate action to advance these principles.

We are committed to continual improvement of our EMS:

to enhance our sustainability performance, including the economic and social well-being of our employees and the communities in which we live and work;
to provide the framework for setting our sustainability objectives and ensuring alignment with the zoo’s strategic direction;
to support our efforts to innovate, and apply resiliency and life-cycle perspectives to our operations and decision making.

We are committed to serve as a trusted conservation organization and a leader in sustainability:

by evolving best practices, and striving to drive innovative solutions that help move the zoo community forward;
by committing to fulfill all applicable legal requirements and other requirements relevant to the mission and context of our organization.

We prioritize resources to ensure the EMS achieves its intended outcomes:

by ensuring accountability for the effectiveness of our program;
by fully integrating the EMS into the zoo business operations;
by supporting staff to demonstrate leadership in their roles.