Zoop! An Earth Friendly Fertilizer from the Denver Zoo

Part 1 of A Green Zoo Series by Erin Reilly: The Denver Zoo is a great place to take your children and spend the day. Every little kid loves looking at exotic animals they may never get a chance to see otherwise. The babies are especially popular, and draw large crowds year round. The Denver Zoo is famous for such baby animals as the polar bears Klondike and Snow. Now, they are quickly becoming well known for being the first zoo in the United States to have a certified Sustainable Management System for all of their operations.

"As an organization dedicated to wildlife conservation, [the] Denver Zoo is trying to be as environmentally conscious as possible, in every facet of our organization. We're encouraging others to do the same. It's amazing how small changes can result in tremendous positive impact, especially when many people practice them over time," says Denver Zoo President/CEO Craig Piper on the Denver Zoo website (www.denverzoo.org).

One of the many ways that the Denver Zoo is working to be as environmentally conscious as possible, is by selling a product called Zoop. What is Zoop, you ask? Well, according to A1 Organics, Zoop is a 100% natural composted fertilizer and soil conditioner. It is made from Denver Zoo animal waste, and thus eliminates the zoo's need to dump the waste in landfills.

Each can of Zoop is three pounds and costs $9.99 at the Kibongi Market gift shop. As the A1 Organics website says, one scoop goes a long way, so a three pound container will last you a pretty long time. The Zoop itself is odorless and of high quality. It can be used for indoor or outdoor plants.

In order to market this product, the Denver Zoo brought in McClain Finlon Advertising. In an online article by Al Stewart that was published in Adweek, sales of Zoop increased significantly after McClain Finlon created a series of silly ads. One such ad, the article explains, shows a rear view of a zebra, an elephant, and a rhinoceros with a caption that reads "made fresh daily". One of the ads was featured on the show America's Funniest Animals on Animal Planet.

So, if you are interested in an earth friendly fertilizer for your garden this spring, come buy some Zoop from the Denver Zoo. Not only will you be helping the environment, but a large part of the proceeds from your purchase of Zoop goes to helping support the animals of the Denver Zoo who helped in the creation of this earth friendly product.