Be Green!

The Barrel Project

The Barrel Project is a community project and contest opportunity for high school students in Arizona. For this project students will design and paint barrels in an environmental theme with the intention of helping to educate the public, especially zoo visitors, about recycling, conservation, wildlife, and habitats.. The barrels will be used as recycling receptacles at the Phoenix Zoo.

The revitalized barrels are unveiled during Earth Day celebrations at the Phoenix Zoo and Zoo guests will vote for their Favorite Barrel. Students participating in The Barrel Project will also have the opportunity to enter the Environmental Connections Essay Contest. Zoo staff will determine the winner of the Environmental Connections Essay Contest. The schools/groups that win the Favorite Barrel Contest and Environmental Connections Contest will receive a free Zoo-To-You Outreach program of their choice. All project participants have the opportunity to win raffle prizes.

In collaboration with the Phoenix Zoo, this project is open to all Arizona high school classes or school clubs/student groups who complete a registration form and agree to the terms of the project. Students who participate in the project must be in 9th-12th grade. (Barrels are limited and will be assigned on a first registered, first served basis. Schools/groups are limited to a maximum of three barrels.)

The Phoenix Zoo and The Barrel Project

The Phoenix Zoo is a privately-owned, nonprofit zoological park that has gained an international reputation for its efforts on behalf of wildlife. The Zoo participates in numerous local and international efforts on behalf of endangered species, including the Mexican wolf, thick-billed parrot, black-footed ferret, Bornean orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Asian elephant, and many more.

Important as on-site conservation programs are, they are not enough by themselves to ease the biological crises facing wildlife and people alike today. The larger challenge is enlisting the active support of people – this community, this country, this world – in living so that the long-term survival of as many species as possible, including our own, is assured.

To help meet this challenge, the Phoenix Zoo has rededicated itself to functioning as an advocate for the natural world, communicating with people about animals, plants, humanity, and the needs we share. Our purpose can best be expressed by the Zoo's Mission Statement: We inspire people to live in ways that promote the well being of the natural world.

This recycling barrel design project promotes the well being of the natural world in many ways.

• This is a community project … Arizona high school students have an opportunity to become involved and make a difference at one of Arizona’s most important cultural, educational, and environmental organizations. Scientific research has shown that heightened community involvement, investment, and ownership has a direct correlation with community health (i.e. decreased crime rates and increased perceptions of quality of life).

• This project involves education ... students learn about recycling, conservation, wildlife, and habitats as they create the barrel designs. Sequentially, Zoo guests learn from the barrel designs and from the corresponding educational display.

• This project sets an example … the barrels being used are actually being re-used! All of the barrels were originally manufactured and used as storage/transport containers for other products (such as Coca-Cola syrup and printer cartridge ink) … not only does this project promote recycling, it also promotes reducing and reusing! Further, the Phoenix Zoo strives to offer opportunities for Zoo guests to participate in activities and practices that support sustainable living. Providing recycling receptacles at the zoo not only helps to lessen the amount of materials sent to landfills from the Phoenix Zoo, but also models an easy-to-do sustainable practice that families can institute at home.