Community Corner
'Bear' the Burden: Zoo Announces Polar Bear Awareness Week
For the first time ever, the Lincoln Park Zoo is hosting Polar Bear Awareness Week, during which participants will learn more each day about helping the Arctic creatures.
There are fewer than 25,000 polar bears left in the wild, according to estimates by Polar Bears International.
Chicagoans can celebrate the organization's International Polar Bear Day all week long with the first-ever Polar Bear Awareness Week at Lincoln Park Zoo, which offers a chance to learn more about these magnificent creatures—and what can be done to help them.
Between February 25 and March 3, the zoo will offer twice-daily Arctic activities at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Resident polar bear Anana will be in for some extra treats, and staff and volunteers will be giving away free passes to see To The Arctic 3D at Navy Pier IMAX Theater.
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“Lincoln Park Zoo is invested in high quality polar bear care here at the zoo as well as conservation of wild bears,” Rachel Bergren, vice president of education, said in a news release. “We want to connect our guests to this species and inspire them to enact some changes in their day-to-day lives with polar bears in mind.”
The changes can be as simple as cutting down on plastic bag use, biking to work or using public transportation, the release said. The No Idling Campaign encourages motorists to power down when parked and keep auto idling to less than 30 seconds.
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Get more conservation ideas by following the zoo on Twitter @lincolnparkzoo. Representatives will be posting a conservation "top tip" at 2 p.m. each day during Polar Bear Awareness Week.
“It is the principle of reduce, reuse, and recycle,” Bergren said, in the statement. “A large group cutting down on energy use in small ways can have an impact. People should feel empowered to help.”
Lincoln Park Zoo itself implements many sustainable initiatives, including installation ofgreen roofs, solar panels, energy-efficient lighting and retrofits, water-saving devices, and recycling opportunities for everything from paper, plastic and aluminum to cell phones.
In 2012, the zoo became an Arctic Ambassador Center in partnership with renown conservation organization Polar Bears International.
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