Disney's Animal Kingdom has made the biggest strides to become an eco-friendly tourist attraction.
Today’s knowledge-based society increasingly seeks experiences that combine fun with learning. They also want experiences where their time, even more than money, is being well spent. In many instances, they seek transformational experiences where they leave as changed individuals. Simply put, the term “edutainment” refers to educating while entertaining. While the combination of education and entertainment might be relatively new, the concept has existed for a while. The reality is humanity faces a number of complex issues today, including but not limited to balancing the need to educate large numbers of adults and kids about how they can personally impact their world – reduce, reuse, and recycle to start.
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Florida, has made significant strides to become a sustainable tourist attraction. According to a report conducted by Uswitch, it was found that the Walt Disney World Resort is the world’s most sustainable amusement park. In addition, Disney brought a 270-acre, 57-megawatt solar facility to Walt Disney World, generating enough solar power to operate two Disney parks. The solar facility reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50,000 tons per year, the equivalent of removing about 10,000 cars from the roads annually.
Dan Ashe, CEO of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, explained, “The secret sauce in our industry is to be sure the guest is having fun and being entertained. The more fun the guests have the more they learn. They learn more as they have fun. They learn more about the natural world and that’s what we want to see happen.”
If there’s one thing, the Walt Disney Company is famous for its imagination. Disney’s heritage in this space is strong. During Earth Day week, I ventured to Animal Kingdom to get a first-hand look and talk with Dr. Mark Penning, Disney’s global leader in animal well-being and the environment. Dr. Mark, as he is known by most at Animal Kingdom, is a South African who moved to the US to take the responsibility of having a more significant impact than he could have in private practice in his home country. To start, I asked the ever-important question, “How does Disney integrate sustainability culture into guest visits?”
Dr. Mark said, “The guests want magical experiences at Walt Disney World. Our foundation here is to make sure our priority are the animals. The animals are going to get the very best care possible. We want to start with that. We look at the well-being of every individual, not just a species. We want to see that the animal is thriving and not just surviving.”
“That’s how we think about every creature that we have here. Then we look at magical guest experiences. We provide very authentic experiences that help people really understand how it feels to be in Africa, how it feels to be in Asia. And then through that, we connect them with the habitats and the amazing animals that live there. So, they have this very realistic experience. It’s almost like being in Africa.”
“We love to believe that the impact of what we do goes way beyond the physical location of Disney’s; we’re protecting wildlife across the globe. Our Disney Conservation Fund has directed over $125 million to projects that support communities to protect wildlife and their habitats in 126 countries.”
“We love sharing those stories because it is the all-encompassing experience we seek. And then, how we make the magic is just as important as the magic itself.”
“And that’s from a sustainability perspective, thinking about reducing our environmental footprint, thinking about green energy, thinking about how we reduce food waste, and how do we take away single-use plastics.”
Disney Parks continue to address ways to handle the not-so-magical environmental repercussions that come along with operating massive theme parks/resorts. Key focus areas include water and energy conservation, greenhouse gas emission reduction, waste minimization, ecosystem conservation, and eco-inspirational branding. To further elaborate on this, I asked how sustainability and conservation have evolved into what it is today. So what’s new and different?
“Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating its 25th anniversary and so this is special for us. And we’re really thrilled to be connecting people with the magic of nature. Over time, the way we take care of animals is evolving. We’re constantly trying to do better and better and then contribute to the broader knowledge of these animals. And as we learn more, we share our findings and learnings with the profession at large.”
“Our environmental goals are getting more ambitious too. We are always sensitive to the fact the guests are here to have a vacation. And we have to be careful that guests don’t have feel that they have to think too much. We want to try and make their experience easy and intuitive. You know, so for us, it comes back to the philosophy of how we make the magic and putting the processes and systems in place to make sure that we can deal with as much of that as possible and not have the guests, you know, standing there wondering what they should do next.”
The truth of the matter is that Disney has a courageous leader in Dr. Mark Penning, who is a part veterinarian and equal parts master storyteller. Dr. Mark knows that science matters but that the impacts are too small if the ideas aren’t being shared. Think about that for a minute. How many companies guard their ideas against their competitors and fail to impact societal issues more? When it comes to balancing purpose and profit, sharing ideas that will advance positive impacts on people and the planet seems like a winning idea.
Disney’s efforts in reducing its environmental footprint are commendable to help achieve the desired long-term sustainability goals. However, sustainability is more than ecological management, waste management, and water consumption - it is also about economic progress and social development. True sustainability must encompass all aspects, including environment, culture, conservation, and livability. By working towards establishing the destination as a leader in sustainable tourism, Disney improves the lives of citizens and the workforce, protects and enhances the unique natural environments and traditional communities, as well as addresses the needs of the visitors and the industry.
