The Pueblo Zoo embraces the bright minds of 7th to 11th graders through its inspiring ZooALIVE program, designed to ignite a love for volunteerism and career exploration in the fields of Zoo and Conservation. This unique initiative empowers teens with a comprehensive understanding of sustainable practices and the profound care required for the Zoo’s cherished animals. In a remarkable display of innovation, the Zoo invested in a cutting-edge hydroponics growing system, ensuring a year-round supply of nutritious plants for its beloved ambassador animals, which include a vibrant array of lizards, turtles, and small mammals. Every step in nurturing this system is a proud achievement of the dedicated ZooALIVE teens, who pour their heart and soul into cultivating life and preserving our precious ecosystems.
Our ZooALIVE teens have fully embraced the responsibility of managing the hydroponics growing system. This program has significantly enhanced their understanding and appreciation for horticulture, empowering them to directly link their efforts in growing plants to the vital task of providing food for the animals they care for every day. We conducted classes that effectively educated the teens on hydroponics, highlighted the advantages of growing plants on-site, and underscored the crucial importance of conserving water in our arid climate.
The hydroponics growing system is proudly displayed in the Zoo’s Education Building, which focuses on educating the public on sustainable practices and conservation. Signage on the system explains how it supports the Zoo’s green initiative, in addition to actively providing food to the animals in the same building. With over 95,000 visitors annually, the Zoo is thrilled to share the success of its hydroponics system and its ZooALIVE program with the Pueblo community.