Audubon Nature Institute is the proud recipient of a 2011 Environmental Leadership Award from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Through various conservation and recycling initiatives, Audubon has dramatically reduced our carbon footprint!

Audubon Zoo was awarded the 2011 Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) Non-Governmental Organization Achievement Award in Community Environmental Outreach for implementation of green practices throughout all facilities and departments. The practices resulted in a measurable reduction in materials disposed in landfills, greatly increasing recycling efforts, and diminished use of electricity throughout the Zoo. The Zoo’s “Green Team” focused on rethinking what was used, how things were used and how debris was disposed. Highly creative efforts to implement green practices have resulted in savings all across the Zoo, including the establishment of a very successful composting program. The nutrient-rich soil product, labeled “ZooDoo Gold”, is donated to school groups for various projects and made available to the general public as well. Composting efforts at the Zoo yield close to 25 tons of “ZooDoo Gold” per month. Audubon Zoo keeps recycling front and center so that visitors and volunteers are made aware of green and environmental issues.