Lincoln Park Zoo – Chicago, Illinois
By Katie Kizer (photos provided by Chris Gerke)
Few would debate the fact that a bustling urban neighborhood offers a wide range of learning opportunities. One could ask, what better way to teach our young children about renewable energy than to take a preexisting learning domain in the middle of a city and install a successful renewable energy project? In Lincoln Park, a Chicago neighborhood with families and young children, there is a zoo nestled between the water’s edge on Lake Michigan and the city streets. Lincoln Park Zoo is free to the public, providing an open invitation for children to learn about animals during non-school hours. A solar project has been installed on the large red barn, located in the Farm-in-the-Zoo presented by John Deere as part of the Illinois Solar Schools initiative. So as the kids view goats, pigs, and cows in this farm wonderland, they are also learning about alternative energies. Parents can bring children to the zoo and large groups can visit without financial burden because admission is free. People can even avoid the cost of parking if they opt to take public transportation or walk. These kids are learning, in a fun way, something many parents and teachers work very hard to achieve. What makes this project so fascinating is that it is a zoo with all the wonderful possibilities just mentioned, and it is part of the Illinois Solar Schools project! What a refreshing alliance! 
When I visited Lincoln Park Zoo this spring, I witnessed endless groups of children making their way through the weaving paths of the farm with wonder and excitement. I sat for a moment on the bench near the solar project and observed the integration of these learning tools. Such collaboration between a school and a zoo is inventive and inspirational, paving the way for future public domains to become learning environments for young people. Installing solar panels at Lincoln Park Zoo is a way to implement the notion of renewable energy into the child’s upbringing, instilling in them a concept that many adults are struggling to grasp even today.Lincoln Park Zoo is also participating in many other green activities, including steps towards emitting fewer pollutants into the air, water and energy conservation efforts, energy efficient adjustments to their buildings, recycling, and many other proactive efforts to set a positive example for the community. While I was in the visitor center discussing the solar project with the friendly Lincoln Park Zoo staff, I even noticed a battery recycling bin at my feet. 
It is the little things like this that truly foster education about “greening” within the general public. So while skipping through the zoo marveling at the zebras and monkeys, the children, along with their parents, are absorbing an enormous amount of environmentalism. Funding for the Illinois Solar Schools project was provided in large part by Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation and Commonwealth Edison. More information about this project including live data is available at www.IllinoisSolarSchools.org