FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  (April 16, 2008)
Dallas Zoo Throws a Party for the Planet on April 26 and 27

Party for the Planet is sponsored with a grant from Toyota as host of Nature Zoo Tour 2008 to celebrate wildlife and encourage its preservation. Partnered with PBS' award-winning Nature series, for which it is a corporate sponsor, Toyota is funding public events at nine zoos across the country this spring to support endangered species and increase awareness of their need for protection.

“NATURE’s mission has always been to show people the beauty and struggles of wildlife and the environment in the hope that they will gain an appreciation for it,” said Fred Kaufman, executive producer of NATURE. “This Zoo Tour enables us to reach the public in a very personal way with that message. We’re grateful that our corporate sponsor, Toyota, is funding this initiative.”

“Everyone has been enthusiastic about the event and we have participation from many area institutions that support conservation,” said Nancy Scott, bird research technician at the Dallas Zoo and organizer of the event. “The Conservation, Education and Science Department at the Dallas Zoo developed this special event last year and it was a fantastic success. Kids and adults alike had a great time at the interactive activities and learned about the many simple things they can do at home to make a difference. This year’s Party for the Planet is going to be even bigger and better.”
In addition to information booths throughout the Zoo, there will be workshops on composting, vermicomposting, rainwater harvesting, and rain gardens. The Dirt Doctor, Howard Garrett, will be at the Cat Green Pavilion on Saturday. He will be delivering a keynote address on Natural Organic Gardening and Living from 1 to 2:15 p.m. and he will be available for a Meet & Greet with visitors and handing out free samples of organic fertilizer from 2:15 to 3 p.m.

To take advantage of the free ticket for the Endangered Species Carousel or Monorail Safari, bring used cell phones to the collection station by the carousel. The phones will be recycled through ECO-CELL, which provides a donation to the Dallas Zoo’s conservation fund.

"By recycling old cell phones, you’re keeping hazardous chemicals out of landfills and  you also are helping preserve gorilla, okapi, and elephant habitats,” said Bruce Rasmussen, volunteer coordinator for the Dallas Zoo. “Most of the world’s coltan (columbite-tantalite), a raw material essential in the manufacturing of cell phones, is found in the Congo. By reducing the need to mine coltan, we will help save endangered animals and their habitats.”

In order to reduce the amount of waste generated by the Party for the Planet, community partners have been asked to provide Web site links for visitors to get more information. Conservation, Education and Science staff and volunteers from the Dallas Zoo will be distributing magnets that feature the www.DallasZooEd.com Web site where all the information can be found.

Party for the Planet will feature the following booths (sponsors):

• Are you a Litter Critter? – recycle and don’t litter (Dallas Zoo)
• Nature preserves in the Dallas Area (Audubon Dallas and Texas Audubon)
• Flushed Away – water conservation in the home with a sink demonstration and examples of low-flow showerheads and sink aerators (Dallas Zoo and Museum of Nature & Science)
• CeaseTheGrease – grease abatement program to decrease the amount of fats, oils, and grease in the sanitary sewer system, which can cause overflows and pollution  (Dallas Water Utilities Pre-treatment)
• Clean Green -- cleaning with green products (Dallas Zoo)
• Waterwise landscaping (Dallas Zoo)
• No Wasted Watts – electricity conservation (Dallas Zoo and Museum of Nature & Science)
• Paper or plastic? Neither! – reusable shopping bags (Dallas Zoo: sponsored by Books & Crannies Bookstore, Wynn Real Estate Brokerage, and The Kroger Co.)
• Parenting for the Planet – making informed choices with baby diapers; packing an eco-friendly lunch for your child; alternatives to gift wrapping (Dallas Zoo)
• Recyclable Enrichment -- recycled products used for animal enrichment (Dallas Zoo)
• Techno-Recycling -- ECO-CELL cell phone and personal electronics recycling program (Dallas Zoo)
• Too Good to Throw Away – recycling and buying products made of recycled products (Dallas Zoo, City of Dallas Sanitation Dept., and Museum of Nature & Science)
• Benefits of pollinators (Trinity River Beekeepers’ Association)
• How to Lose 41 pounds …of junk mail per year (Dallas Zoo)
• Afterlife of a Jelly Jar – ways to reuse glass jars (Dallas Zoo)
• Air quality (City of Dallas Office of Environmental Quality)
• Organic gardening and native plants (Rohde’s Nursery)
• SaveDallasWater (Dallas Water Utilities Conservation)
• Shade grown coffee (Starbucks)
• Keeping our storm water drains clean (City of Dallas Storm Water Dept.)
• Texas Parks & Wildlife Nature Trackers program & AmphibianWatch (Dallas Zoo and North Texas Master Naturalists)
• AirCheck Texas automobile repair and replacement assistance program; Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, Take Care of Texas (Texas Commission for Environmental Quality)
• Native plants for wildlife (Texas Discovery Gardens)
• Solar cooking (Dallas Zoo)
• Bowling for Rhinos (American Association of Zoo Keepers)
• Native Plants (Dallas Native Plant Society)
• Natural and organic skincare and minimalist (or absent) packaging – (LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics)
• Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
• Benefits of urban shade trees (Dallas Urban Forest Advisory Committee)
• Master Naturalists program (North Texas Master Naturalists)
• Living with urban wildlife (Wildcare Inc.)

NATURE, which airs weekly on PBS and locally on Sunday at 7 p.m. on KERA, is public television’s leading showcase for natural history and wildlife films. This award-winning series has raised the environmental consciousness of millions of Americans by celebrating the beauty, diversity, and value of the Earth’s species and habitats.  For more information, log on to www.pbs.org/nature.

Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 13 manufacturing plants here. There are more than 1,700 Toyota, Lexus, and Scion dealerships in North America, which sold more than 2.9 million vehicles in 2007. Toyota directly employs more than 43,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $21 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services, and design. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com.