Environmentality @ Disneyworld Orlando. A photo essay and tour

For Thanksgiving my wife, daughter and I took 2 weeks holiday and drove to Orlando, FL. then took the Amtrak AutoTrain from Sanford, FL (outside Orlando) to Lorton, VA (near DC). The train ride really lowered the embodied energy associated with our auto travel to Orlando... heck it all helps.

A bit of fun in the sun followed by a big feast with relatives in VA at the end!! Considering my wife and I are both Environmental Scientists... we thought we would pull together a piece about what we saw on our journey from the eco_tip. This is, of course, in addition to our online family foto album. ;-) Balance Man Balance.

Disney is Wild about Recycling and Cichlid Conservation!

Upon laying eyes on this sign in the Wild Kingdom, we were all very relived to learn how supportive Disney is for recyling programs.

Apparently they are also serious about fixing fish. Again we dont know if this poster containes factual information or if this is more themewashing (ooOO yeah you heard that term here first)

Disney & the Forestry Stewardship Council Juxtaposition!

I hope this little native lizard lives a long and happy life, but there is quite a bit of dermal toxicity data out there online about copper chromated arsinic (CCA) treated lumber.



Lucky for us Disney suggests we "Purchase Home Building Products From Sustainable Forests". Somehow I found the CCA lumber used next to the "YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE" signage to be quite humorous. Note the FSC logo bottom left. Nice poster... is this greenwash, or theming?

Woo Their Partner, is that Shade Grown Coffee Oganic Also?

We were so pumped up after spotting this little ditty, we had to stop and buy some! What suckers ay?



Now this was encouraging as well. "Care and Rehabilitation of Wild African Species"... again you dont know if they are using this sign as a prop, or if this is really going on. Pardon me but it does get confusing.. the place is chock full of "Wild African Species".. we jsut could not find the rehabilitaion... more like showcases. Does "...relocation to a protected environment" mean just outside of Orlando, Florida?

Animal Kindom Goes WILD For Natural Building Materials!

One of the first things we noticed after the exotic species being introduced was the significant use of seemingly natural building materials. Now I did not get close enough to determine for sure if these are real or if these are synthetic.. but they looked real to me.... you really never know these days with theming.

No Expense Spared For Exotic Species Introduction!

Ample use of exotic species is apparently the norm. I thought we had learned our lessons with Kudzu, Zebra Mussels, Nutria, Python's in the glades, etc. But they do look nice.. and sound ahh. unique when the wind rustles them. Plus the non-indiginous species theming makes you feel like your going on a Safari in a Wild Kingdom(tm) right?

The Hunt for Organic or Local Anything!

We had quite an intensive hunt thru seveal parks to find our first speck of organic goodness.
It was Iced Peach Green Tea for $2.39 per glass
It was not that bad really, but the packaging left me wondering if it was really "organic".

$2.39 Organic Green Tea at Disney Revealed!

Finally at last, something organic in the park!! Here is my lunch in the magic kingdom. Did I mention M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E-S napkins are 100% recyclABLE and from a chlorine free process?? Boo YA Intel U want it, I got it.

Storm Drain Label Close Up Shot

A Feeble Attempt at Storm Water Pollution Prevention at Disney Orlando

Now don't get me wrong, I was really excited when I spotted the first storm drain I had ever seen with TWO count 'em TWO labels on it. It was right inside the main entrance we drove each day, and right next to Reedy Creek Improvement District's office.

It turns out the 2-3 drains right by the Reedy Creek office were the only ones we saw labeled at all. This was out of seemingly thousands.

This industry needs to get over its fear of labeling storm drains in guest areas. At worse someone who does not know any better would simply scratch their heads, at best people may really dig that drains which flow immediately to a waterbody inhabited with Gods great creatures has some labeling designed to prevent an employee or guest from dumping down it.

Storm drain labelling should be required by law, not only for near water high traffic areas but for every facilitiy in the USA which has a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit (a permit for discharging wastewater into waters of the good ol' US of A).

Disney Bins

We figured there were about 15 trash cans destined for the land fill for every 1 recycling bin in most areas. Additionally, downcycling recepticals were not placed within any logical proximity of recyclable product vending areas.

None the less, they were a nice design. Obviously built with exclusion of nonrecyclables in mind. They were usually clean as well, not a sticky mess like some coca-cola ones at another park. Shh. not naming names.