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Press Releases
Minnesota Zoo Recycles Cell Phones for Rainforests
Apple Valley, MINN – June 1, 2010 – In association with its new Faces of the African Forest exhibit opening, the Minnesota Zoo has initiated a cell phone recycling program called “Recycle for Rainforests.” Guests are encouraged to bring old cell phones to the Zoo to help protect the environment, threatened rainforests, and the animals that live there. Donning the face of the colobus monkey, the collection bins are easily identifiable and are located at each Zoo entrance. Minnesota Zoo guests can learn more about the program and/or print out a pre-paid mailing label that will allow them to mail their phone directly to the recycler for free by visiting mnzoo.org/cell. Said Zoo Conservation Biologist Tara Harris, “We’ve all heard about the threats to rainforests and the animals that call them home, but it’s easy to feel powerless to help. The ‘Recycle for Rainforests’ program is a great way for people to make a difference for endangered African animals and their forest habitats.” The Minnesota Zoo has partnered with local electronics recycler Materials Processing Corporation to ensure a “green” program. Working phones are refurbished for reuse and nonworking phones are recycled to reclaim precious metals, reducing demand for materials found in cell phones that are sometimes mined illegally and destructively from African rainforests. Proceeds from the Zoo’s “Recycle for Rainforests” Program will benefit the conservation efforts of the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project in the Republic of Congo. Their efforts will also help to conserve animals found in the Zoo’s Faces of the African Forest exhibit: colobus monkeys, De Brazza’s monkeys, dwarf crocodiles, red river hogs, fruit bats and hyraxes. The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
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