Taronga’s vision is a shared future for wildlife and people, and we recognise our important role in inspiring people, driving change and helping safeguard the future of the planet.

The Wildlife Retreat at Taronga has been designed to significantly reduce the building’s carbon footprint by taking on green initiatives such as:

• Rooftop mounted solar photovoltaic systems that provide a local and clean source of electricity to power the Wildlife Retreat
• Cross-laminated timber used as the construction material of choice, which is a pre-fabricated solid engineered wood with a lower environmental footprint than concrete and steel. This provides increased thermal performance that reduces the need to artificially heat and cool the building to ultimately save on electricity
• Recycled water for toilet flushing and irrigation from Taronga’s on-site water treatment plant
• WELS water efficient fittings throughout the precinct to greatly reduce potable water consumption
• LED light fittings and energy efficient appliances, including ceiling fans and louvres to provide cross-ventilation that significantly reduces electricity requires while providing a comfortable guest environment

These actions were put in place in the hope that guests can enjoy a rewarding experience with a long-lasting and positive impact.

We apply a sustainable and ethical framework to all of our operational and purchasing decisions and we work with partners that share our passion to lead the way in environmental sustainability and climate change action.

Some of the actions we have taken are listed below:

• Commitment to Country - embedding a way of working that respects and includes Indigenous peoples, cultures, knowledge and place. Where possible we select First Nations owned and operated businesses.
• Bathroom amenities, Tea and Coffee and Mini Bar items are selected to help you have a comfortable stay but have sustainability in mind:
  • Bamboo – to reduce the reliance on plastic our amenities are made from natural alternatives.
  • Glass instead of plastic – there are no plastic bottles in our mini bars
  • Better plastics – items such as the shower caps and sanitary bags use bioplastic (made from cornstarch).
  • Recyclable packaging – FSC certified paper is used for the packaging of bathroom amenities and our coffee and tea packaging are compostable
  • Reducing harmful ingredients – free from palm oil, parabens and a list of nasty chemicals.
  • Carbon footprint – we attempt to purchase items that are made and packaged in Australia and continue to endeavour to buy local.
• eWater Systems is an Australian owned biotech company that supplies us with on-site generators, utilising world-leading electrolysis technology to generate an endless stream of commercial-grade disinfectant and sanitiser, replacing harsh chemicals.
• MSC or ASC certified seafood Taronga is committed to ensuring all the food we sell and serve is environmentally sustainable and responsibly sourced.

In recognition of our efforts, we have been certified to the highest level:  Advanced Ecotourism, this level of certification is reserved for

“Australia's leading and most innovative ecotourism products that operate with minimal impact on the environment and provide opportunities to learn about the environment with operators who are committed to achieving best practice, using resources wisely, contributing to conserving the environment and helping local communities.”

The Binjang Story