Eco-Friendly Disney - Part 3

I've talked a lot about the negative things, environmentally-speaking, about our trip to Disney.  The lack of recycling.  The lack of availability of recycled products for purchase.  The need to purchase consumable items (napkins, condiments, cereal) that end up in the waste stream when half-used.

But there were a lot of things that were really great, environmentally, about our trip.  You can read the details in Disney's 2010 Corporate Citizenship Report (http://corporate.disney.go.com/citizenship2010/environment/overview/ourapproach/).  It provides a fascinating look at a large corporation and its efforts to reduce its negative impact on the environment and increase its positive impact on the community.

One of the things that struck me most was the use of real cutlery, glasses and plates in almost all of the eating areas we visited.  I'm used to seeing my food served disposable plates and cutlery - I was pleasantly surprised to have my food served on plates with stainless steel forks and knives. 

Another interesting point was the number of recycling and garbage bins.  The park was spotless.  Staff were constantly picking up garbage left behind, and placing it in the appropriate receptacle.  Garbage cans and recycling bins were constantly emptied, so visitors to the park never had the excuse of "the bin was too full".

Greenhouses on Disney property are using innovate techniques to grow food - vertical agriculture, aquaponics, and xeriscaping are a few examples.  Disney also grows a lot of the food served at resort hotels.

Public transportation is the only choice for getting around the resort.  You can take the monorail, the steam train or the ferry, to and from various locations in the park.  Of course, you can also walk.

But what impressed me the most is Disney's commitment to nature conservation and consumer education.  I'll expand on this in another post.