TORONTO - An exhibit housing lion-tailed macaques at the Toronto Zoo will be retrofitted with green technology in the hopes of reducing emissions, saving money and educating the public at the major tourist attraction, Ontario Energy Minister Gerry Phillips said Friday.
The province will contribute money from its Community Conservation Initiative to help fund a geothermal energy system, which will use heat from within the Earth to control temperature in the monkey's habitat.
It's an ideal way for the zoo to showcase an environmentally friendly heating and cooling system to the facility's 1.4 million annual visitors, said Phillips.
"It's going to be a great demonstration project so people come and they'll see what geothermal is,'' Phillips said.
Franz Hartmann of the Toronto Environmental Alliance applauded the zoo's initiative and the government's support, but said the government has to do more.
"We've got a provincial government that has committed to a huge amount of money toward nuclear and frankly, not nearly enough money to supporting green energy initiatives like this,'' said Hartmann.
The Toronto Zoo is a great place to teach people about geothermal energy, and that Ontario has a lot of potential to further develop the environmentally friendly resource, he added.
"This is welcome, but a lot more needs to happen.''
Dave Ireland, the zoo's curator of conservation, said the government is contributing roughly $38,000 to the project, which is expected to cost about $89,000.
The exhibit will include information so the public can learn about geothermal technology and the potential to use sustainable energy sources, said Ireland. Normally, while people may hear about alternative energy technology, it's difficult to show it in use, he added.
"We have a captive audience in these people who are standing here now and are willing to hear a message,'' said Ireland, gesturing to the small crowd bustling around the glass of the lion-tailed macaques exhibit.
Ireland said he hopes the zoo can meld its usual message of animal conservation with energy consumption to make people more conscious of energy use and its effects on other species.
"We're not the only ones out there and ecosystems function to protect us and sustain us,'' Ireland said.
Geothermal heating and cooling systems use various methods to extract energy, in the form of heat, from deep within the Earth. It is a low-emission, sustainable source of energy and gaining popularity in Canada and worldwide.
Lion-tailed macaques are classified as endangered, with only about 400 left in the wild. The monkeys, which live in evergreen forests, are indigenous to the west coast of southern India.
The Toronto Zoo's heating and cooling system is one of 22 projects that have been approved for Community Conservation Initiative funding so far this year. There is still roughly $250,000 left out of the $1-million fund that is open for other projects.
The fund has supported more than 50 conservation projects across the province over the past two years.
Phillips said the system is one more way to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and deal with climate change.
"It's part of a broader conservation culture that we have to develop,'' said Phillips. "I find the young people have it, and now we have to find a way that all of us get it.''
