Disney Parks Celebrates Sustainability, Conservation Milestones on Earth Day

Image: PHOTO: Disney Parks celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. (photo courtesy of Disney Parks)
Image: PHOTO: Disney Parks celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. (photo courtesy of Disney Parks)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 12:20 AM ET, Thu April 23, 2020

On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Disney Parks is celebrating some impressive milestones of its own, including 30 years of dedicated Disney Parks' environmental and sustainability initiatives and 25 years of the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF).

It's also been approximately one year since National Geographic joined the Disney family.

For the past three decades, Disney Parks has been implementing programs in support of waste and emissions reduction as well as water and resource conservation.

Notable efforts include eliminating more than 88 tons of plastic within Disney Parks around the world annually by removing plastic straws and stirrers and constructing solar facilities that reduce Disney Parks' greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking almost 10,000 cars off of the road.

Meanwhile, the DCF has generated millions of dollars to help protect hundreds of species of wildlife since it was first established in 1995.

"We can all celebrate the impact that the Disney Conservation Fund has had over the past 25 years by proudly directing more than $100 million to conservation organizations working to save wildlife, inspire action and protect the planet-helping to ensure a future for more than 1,000 species of wildlife around the world," said Dr. Mark Penning, Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks.

In celebration of Earth Day, Penning will launch his #AskDrMark Instagram series on Wednesday (@DrMarkatDisney), during which he'll answer questions from followers about wildlife and conservation.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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