In 1998, a new species of theme park was born in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Every year since, on April 22, the party gets underway not just for the anniversary of the park but also to celebrate Earth Day.
This year was a special year as, with the anniversary falling on the Monday after Easter, the party went all weekend. The occasion featured special photo ops and of course the father of the park, Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde, on hand signing one of his special pieces of art.
With the recent release of the newest DisneyNature film Penguins, a giant display made entirely of trash found in the ocean and washed up on beaches was placed at the entrance of the park helped guests understand how much waste ends up in our oceans and can hurt these beautiful creatures. Guests were also given a fun activity book, which you can download right HERE, to help learn what parts we can do to save the world day by day along with a reusable bag to start on our path to a better tomorrow.
One of the real highlights was getting a chance to see the newly opened Otter Grotto supported by OTTERBOX, the new small-clawed otter habitat. This beautiful space gives these creatures lots of room to enjoy and play and once they get used to the new area and take full advantage of it. It will surely be a guest favorite.
Now, while Earth Day only falls once a year according to the calendar, it is our jobs to make sure every day is Earth Day and work to make this world a better, safer, cleaner place each day. If you want to learn more about the Walt Disney Company’s commitment to the environment and how you can help out, be sure to read about the Disney Conservation Fund.
