Greening the Desert Museum
In 2018 the Desert Museum took a major step along the path to environmental sustainability. The Museum now receives a significant portion of its energy needs from the Sun – about 13% of its annual demand, 在一个温暖晴朗的日子里，它可以消耗多达30%的电力. 加上其他努力，以减少其材料和能源的消耗, 博物馆一直在努力降低对环境的负面影响. Here is an update on our progress to date.
Solar Energy
太阳在一小时内发送给地球的能量比人类一年使用的能量还要多! 太阳能是满足2022世界杯下注能源需求的最清洁、影响最小的方式之一. As technology improves and costs come down, solar facilities are expanding around the world. 根据太阳能工业协会的说法, 亚利桑那州目前在太阳能方面排名全国第三, with 6.09% of the state’s energy coming from solar. 该州约有54万户家庭使用太阳能. 亚利桑那州有302家太阳能公司，雇佣了大约8400人. 墨西哥北部的太阳能发电也在扩张.
Thanks to technical, 图森电力公司的财政和建设援助, NextEra Energy Resources and Trico Electric Cooperative the Desert Museum is now utilizing power from 667 solar panels at the Trico Community Sun Farm, located in Marana, 它能产生足够3000个家庭使用的电力. Tucson Electric Power has also helped us install 42 solar panels next to the Museum’s Olsen Building, which houses our Herpetology, Ichthyology and Invertebrate Zoology Department. 这些面板提供10千瓦的电力，以满足建筑物的能源需求.
Other Energy Conservation Efforts
你知道世界杯app软件推荐里有两个“绿色屋顶”或“活屋顶”吗? 绿色屋顶有助于隔离建筑，减少供暖和制冷需求, 并减轻已建成基础设施的“热岛”效应. 它们还可以通过提供野生动物栖息地来隔离碳和增加生物多样性. 2022世界杯下注也一直在用最节能的替代品替换灯泡, as they need replacement. ASDM员工使用电动手推车在工地周围运输. Many staff and volunteers carpool to work, as this part of our day is one of the most impactful in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions. 博物馆还提供电动汽车充电站.
Water Conservation
It’s probably no secret that water is one of the not-so-secret ingredients of the beauty of the Desert Museum’s grounds. (The other ingredients are the incredibly talented artists/scientists in our botany and exhibits departments.) Responsible water use is one of our highest priorities, as a desert conservation organization. Ninety six percent of our irrigation water comes from a wastewater treatment facility on the Museum property. This constructed wetland collects water from our aquatic exhibits and uses the natural properties and functions of plants, 土壤和微生物去除各种各样的污染物. 废水经过三个处理池，其中有机物质, suspended solids, and nutrients are removed. The effluent from this facility is used to recharge the aquifer directly below the Museum’s grounds. The Museum currently has 115,1万加仑的地下蓄水池专门储存再生水. This water feeds into our irrigation system.
The Museum’s computer-driven Rainbird Maxicom system regulates 95% of the irrigation systems and allows for daily reports and adjustments to watering schedules. The Maxicom system has its own rain measurement device and adjusts schedules in response to rain. 它还可以检测泄漏并通知员工问题. Over 90% of our systems are drip irrigation.
大多数博物馆展品都以本地植物和观景植物为特色. Areas within the museum grounds that do not have naturalistic themes are also planted with drought tolerant landscape plants that visitors can locate themselves at their local nursery. The desert garden, cactus, and agave gardens are examples of non-naturalistic themes that encourage visitors to employ water-thrifty plantings. Our newer buildings utilize rooftop water harvesting as well; the Warden Oasis Theater and the new classroom building for the Art Institute. The system for the new Art Institute building captures roof rainwater in a 700-gallon cistern as well as in a shallow detention and recharge basin behind the classrooms. When that overflows, the water moves into a series of planters that spill into each other when full. 这些种植者每年有可能收集1300加仑的水. 这听起来可能不是很多水，但对沙漠植物来说这是丰富的.
了解更多有关污水回收系统的资料
Waste Reduction
As with many conservation efforts, waste reduction makes a lot of financial sense as well. 世界杯app软件推荐的工作人员是“简化者、再使用者和再循环者”的专家。. 在世界杯app软件推荐很少能找到新东西, 因为制造一种新产品需要大量的材料和能源, from extracting the raw materials, to manufacturing, to transport, 而且因为新产品通常更贵. If you visit our offices, you will find that our furniture may be a bit mis-matched and our computers may not be the newest models, 但它们在2022世界杯下注社区的企业中被温和地使用.
In terms of recycling, you will have noticed the recycling cans all over the Museum grounds. Our Custodial Department continually educates other staff about any changes to recycling protocols and collects recyclables separately. The Mammalogy and Ornithology (M&O) staff are recycling heros! Many of the animal supplies received by all of our animal departments come in Styrofoam coolers. M&饲养员不愿看到它们被扔进垃圾填埋场, 所以当两家回收聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料的工厂今年停止回收聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料时, they got creative. 2022世界杯下注的一个管理员联系了山姆·莱维茨家具公司, 他们同意回收博物馆的聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料垃圾. M&O在去年收集并运送了323磅泡沫聚苯乙烯以供循环再造!
Keepers also collect the plastic bags used in their animal and human kitchens as well as veterinary facilities, 然后送到当地杂货店的回收站, approximately 2 lbs of plastic bags/week. 在动物厨房里，他们用空粮袋当垃圾. Since their trash must be disposed of daily, 他们每年避免使用300多个大塑料袋. 当清洁展品时，管理员也使用可重复使用的桶而不是塑料垃圾袋.
Many departments no longer use disposable plates, utensils and napkins internally or for most events. Compostable items and “chicken food” are collected in buckets and taken home by various staff members. Across the Museum, 你还会发现员工使用纸张的背面来处理内部文件, 或者把用了一半的纸剪下来做笔记和备忘录. Items consumed by our copiers, fax machines and printers (cartridges, toner bottles, etc.)被送回柯尼卡美能达的“清洁地球计划”进行再利用和回收.
此外，绿色废物被分开存放，并用于支持内部堆肥. 多余的绿色废物交由私人进行堆肥处理. 气泡纸、气垫和包装纸都可以保存并重复使用. Cardboard is also baled and recycled.
In terms of e-waste, 博物馆尽可能地升级电脑, but if not, they are sent to an e-waste recycling facility.
Food and Catering
The Museum’s food service provider, Craft Culinary Concepts, is also a partner in greening the Museum. They have worked diligently over the last few years to greatly reduce the use of plastic. 关于塑料水瓶的事实令人吃惊! 目前，全球每分钟售出100万瓶! 如果把这些瓶子首尾相连，一年之内售出的瓶子可以延伸到半个太阳! 购买的瓶子中只有不到一半被送去回收, rather ending up in landfills or in the ocean, 在那里，塑料污染是野生动物的主要威胁. For water-conscious desert dwellers, it also is important to know that it takes more water to produce a plastic water bottle than the water they contain.
Understanding all this, Craft Culinary Concepts will sell water bottles made from recycled plastic. 餐厅和礼品店出售可续水的水瓶和水杯, 博物馆在周围提供水瓶加油站, as alternative to single-use bottles. 这些餐馆还停止提供塑料吸管、盖子和调味杯. 所有用于现场消费的包装现在都是可堆肥的.
Additional conservation actions taken by Craft Culinary were installation of new dishwashers which reduced water consumption by 65+% and local sourcing of craft beers, spirits, tamales, 玉米饼和其他产品，以减少运输中的碳足迹. Craft Culinary Concepts is also a partner with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program, with a 100% commitment to using only sustainably sourced seafood products on their menus.
Chemical use
Chemical pesticides are rarely used at the Museum, and must be approved by veterinary staff. 生物和文化防治是2022世界杯下注解决害虫问题的首选. The use of predominantly native plants lessens the need for artificial controls and reduces the overall number of problems. 2022世界杯下注使用的清洁/保管产品是环保的, 同时保持消毒能力. 2022世界杯下注用自己的堆肥来减少化肥的使用.
Responsible Investing
世界杯app软件推荐工作人员的退休计划包括四个方面, social and governance (ESG) focused investment funds for plan participants to choose from, among others. 几年前开始的社会责任投资, has evolved to a selection of companies focused on doing the right thing for the environment, for their employees and for society in general. A staff Retirement Plan Investment Committee chose investment options in the plan that may better reflect the values and concerns of plan participants.
It’s not always easy being green …
Many of these sustainability actions are accomplished due to the dedication of staff and volunteers. 另外一些则是由于预算限制而自然发生的. 还有一些只有在2022世界杯下注社区的帮助下才能完成, like our recent acquisition of solar power. 您的持续支持有助于博物馆继续走这条路.