Sweet Pansy

Until Shanghai Disney opened last summer, Disney’s Animal Kingdom was the largest single Disney park on the planet. 500 acres of both theme park and accredited zoo, DAK is home to roughly 1,500 mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Conservation is the unmistakable theme here. No matter where you are in the park, you’re never more than 15 feet from a recycling bin. The park benches are made from recycled material. Many of the items for sale in the park’s gift shops are recycled as well, or are fair trade products. You won’t find plastic drink lids or straws anywhere in the Animal Kingdom; if you ask, you’ll be given a much more environmentally friendly paper straw. If you walk through the Dinoland section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, keep an eye out for the highway sign that says, “Diggs County, US Route 498.” It’s a reference to the day the park opened: Earth Day in April 1998.