In 2007, WCS launched an effort to ensure its conservation practices at home were consistent with its global mission, and to position the organization as a leader of New York City's greening plans. To that end, WCS created a Carbon Footprint Project Team to calculate its greenhouse gas emissions and then to implement steps to reduce this output. The team used data collected since 2005 and established a baseline against which future calculations and emissions mitigation efforts can be compared. The method to measure the footprint was guided by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative, led by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute. This first report assessed WCS’s five New York facilities—the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium—as well as the facilities and activities of the WCS science program housed at the Bronx Zoo.

The team calculated that the WCS operation in New York emits approximately 34,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases. The figure includes direct emissions from heating and power generation at the five parks and from WCS-owned vehicles; emissions for purchased electricity by parks; and emissions from organization activities—travel by air, car, and train, as well as paper consumption. To put this in perspective, the team compared the WCS estimates to those of other institutions, such as Middlebury College: 25,000 metric tons, BP: 60.4 million metric tons, and the think-tank World Resources Institute: 978 metric tons.

Initiatives already taken by WCS to reduce its footprint include the following:

• A cogeneration facility that helps the Bronx Zoo produce much of its own power, cooling, and heating. With support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Zoo is in the process of upgrading the facility’s engines to exclusively use natural gas, which will reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent and oxides of nitrogen emissions by 80 percent.
  
  
• Energy-efficient buildings at the Bronx Zoo, such as the new Madagascar! exhibit at the restored Lion House—which will become New York City’s first landmark building certified “green” by the U.S. Green Building Counsel when it opens in June. The Bronx Zoo Eco-Restroom, recently selected as “Environmental Project of the Year,” is the largest composting toilet facility in New York City. The eco-friendly Jose E. Serrano Center for Global Conservation (CGC), scheduled to open next spring, includes a green roof and water efficient fixtures, use of renewable or recycled products, and energy efficiency. WCS is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification for both the Lion House and the CGC. The two projects receive support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
  
  
• Use of electric and other alternative fuel vehicles, and the conversion of the Bronx Zoo Shuttle to compressed natural gas.
  
  
• The composting of animal waste produced in the Bronx Zoo, given to a number of city agencies and nonprofits including the New York City Parks Department.
  
  
• The collection by an outside vendor of nearly 5,000 gallons of waste cooking oil at the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium, turned into soap.
  
  
• Elimination of bottled water coolers used by staff.
  
  
• A water-efficient system that saves nearly 500,000 gallons of water per year at the Bronx Zoo’s sea lion exhibit.
  
  
• The purchase of sustainable seafood for both animal and visitor consumption, which reduces the pressures on threatened wild fisheries.

"One of the basic tenets of Mayor Bloomberg's visionary PlaNYC is the citywide reduction of greenhouse gases," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "Through upgrading its engines from dual fuel-burning to natural gas, planning green buildings, and using alternative fuel vehicles, WCS ensures a greener future for our city's zoos and aquarium."

"The cultural sector anticipated many of the trends that inform the current focus on sustainability," said Kate D. Levin, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA). "Like many of our city's cultural organizations, WCS is ahead of the curve in implementing creative design and operational practices to help reduce its carbon footprint, and DCA is proud to support these efforts."

WCS continues to assess its operations to identify additional green initiatives. Added Sanderson, “WCS is poised to be a leader in creating emissions reductions through the conservation of tropical forests as part of our work to protect the Earth. We need to have our own house in order to be a part of this emerging market and movement.”