Helping Businesses Curb Global Warming While Protecting Wildlife

NAME: Valerie Peckham

LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA

ORGANIZATION: Philadelphia Zoo

A 13-year veteran of the Philadelphia Zoo, Valerie Peckham is a firm believer in partnerships. Peckham believes that no single organization can be all things to conservation. Working in partnership with people from diverse organizations, however, allows conservationists like Peckham to synthesize different types of knowledge and different experiences in ways that stimulate creativity, maximize resources, and build momentum.

For her TogetherGreen Conservation Fellowship, Peckham will partner with Audubon Pennsylvania in a pilot project to help small- and medium-sized businesses curb global warming and protect wildlife. The project will combine the Zoo’s “Footprints” sustainability platform and Audubon Pennsylvania’s “Audubon at Home” program, to provide ways for individuals and businesses to reduce their impact on the planet and enhance wildlife habitat.

The project has several objectives: To incorporate green gardening principles and wildlife conservation into participating businesses’ sustainability goals; to help those businesses determine the current size of their environmental footprints and understand how specific actions they take can shrink those footprints; and to provide them with opportunities to offset carbon emissions through tree plantings and other actions.

The integration of Audubon at Home with Footprints will demonstrate how a partnership between a zoo and an Audubon group can help businesses and their staffs reduce their environmental impact. Ultimately, Valerie Peckham hopes this model will be replicated across the country.