his is a story that Billy, Dolly and the rest of the elephants at the Denver Zoo will probably never forget: how they almost, but not quite, became not just animals on exhibit, but also sources of renewable energy.
A decade or so ago, zoo leaders had an innovative idea. As part of their quest to become “the greenest zoo in the country” and a zero-waste facility by 2025, they would develop a technique to transform elephant dung and other waste at the zoo such as paper plates and dirty diapers into fuel pellets that would generate electricity through a process called gasification.
The power would help light and heat the 10-acre elephant exhibit and warm pools in which the animals wade and swim in the winter. The zoo estimated it would reduce what it sends to landfills by 90%.
The state and the city said yes. The Environmental Protection Agency was interested, as was the National Renewable Energy Lab. Permits were obtained. All was a go. The gasification plant would be built on the zoo grounds in the heart of Denver’s City Park.
The zoo showed off the potential of its pooh by powering a blender to make margaritas and, later, a motorized rickshaw that went on a promotional tour to zoos across the West. There was even a nice irony: This green electricity would be powering an elephant exhibit sponsored by a major consumer of fossil fuels, Toyota.
“Everyone was on board,” said Tiffany Barnhart, a spokeswoman for the zoo. “Everyone loved it.”
Nearly everyone.
As the years passed and plans proceeded, a small but persistent group of neighborhood activists began raising questions and applying pressure to the City Council. Would the plant disrupt peaceful City Park? Would it really meet air quality regulations? The zoo said of course it would — it would have to. The city’s largest newspaper stood up for the project this month.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-sej-elephant-dung-story.html
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