Green Practices at Trek
EnviroStars logo

Northwest Trek takes conservation and care of our planet very seriously. The park has the highest possible five-star EnviroStars rating with a number of practices already in place and more to come.

Some examples of Trek's quest for conservation include a specialized septic system for animal waste, a compost pile for hay bedding materials, and helping salmon with trees for engineered log jams. Trek even uses propane for its tram operations.

Learn what you can do at home.

Reduce

Trek reduces harmful emissions in the air by using
 - propane in the trams, (also see Puget Sound Clean Cities site)
 - biodiesel in diesel-powered equipment and
 - hybrid vehicles for staff shuttles between Trek and her sister park, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

Whenever possible, two-sided copies are made to save paper and all paper used has recycled content.

Staff are often allowed to flex their schedules to facilitate carpooling. 

Environmentally safe cleaners keep unnecessary chemicals out of the environment.

Over the course of the past few years, bulbs all over the park have been switched to energy-efficient fluorescents. Lights for the Hoot 'n' Howl event have been changed to LEDs which use only 15 percent of the power used for traditional strings of lights.

Office spaces are equipped with programmable thermostats to save energy when the spaces are not being used. Computer monitors are set to go dark after a set period.

Several displays have motion detectors so lights are only lit when visitors are present. Water faucets in the rest rooms are also on motion sensors so water is not wasted.

No straws or drink lids are used in the cafe, leaving less waste in the park.

Northwest Trek employees are responsible for a mile-long roadside clean-up program along the highway leading to the park.

Reuse

The gift shop reuses packaging materials like styrofoam peanuts that other departments receive in shipments.

E-mail has replaced paper memos for the majority of management communications.

Office equipment and furnishings are redistributed to other departments as needs and staffing change.

Office supplies such as file folders are re-labeled and re-used.

The cafe allows drink refills of reusable cups for a reduced price.

Used cargo containers provide storage in non-public areas of the park.

Visitors can drop off maps as they leave the park. The best are reused and the others are recycled.

Recycle

Northwest Trek recylces cardboard, paper, cans and eligible plastics in every department.

Scrap metal objects are recycled rather than taken to the dump.

Uniforms are kept on site so as seasonal staff changes, shirts can be reused.

Recycling containers are provided for visitors.

Paper products in the bathrooms are made of recycled materials.

Visitor guides, member brochures, member newsletters and stationery are all printed on recycled paper.

For more recycling information, call the state Department of Ecology at 1-800-RECYCLE or go to www.1800recycle.wa.gov