Building and opening an animal shelter is a great way to give back to your community by saving its neglected and unwanted animals. Building a "green" animal shelter, a shelter that is environmentally friendly and leaves less of a footprint on the environment, can help your community as well as the earth. Luckily, building a green animal shelter or turning your existing shelter into a green one isn't too hard; it is just a matter of modifying existing practices and replacing them with more environmentally friendly ones.
Instructions
1. Ask for donations for the items that you need for your shelter. As you may know, animal shelters and rescue groups operate largely on the generosity of businesses and individuals. Donations can decrease the environmental impact of your shelter. For example, if people donate used blankets and old dog kennels, that eliminates the need to have to buy new ones and it frees up valuable space in rapidly filling landfills since they aren't throwing them away.
2. Install solar panels. Solar electric panels may be a bit more costly to start up than a traditional electric system, but it can reduce your shelter's impact on the earth and can help save money that would have been spent on electricity on a long-term basis. Solar electricity can be used in the exact same ways as traditional electricity, but is much more environmentally-friendly. Solar panels could generate 30 to 50 percent of the electricity used in your building.
3. Install stained concrete flooring. Stained concrete flooring can lower the amount of electricity needed to heat and cool the rooms in your shelter. The flooring is also less likely to absorb dirt and odor so that fewer chemicals and less water is needed to clean it.
4. Install artificial turf instead of grass in your green animal shelter. While there is no doubt that grass is needed for the animals to be able to exercise on and do their business, turf will work just as well. At the same time, artificial turf requires no water so no water will be wasted to keep the grass healthy and alive. Also, planting native plants that need fairly small amounts of care can also keep the need for watering to a minimum.
5. Create a "Green Shelter Code of Conduct" for all of your staff to review. This Code can explain the practices that are needed to reduce your business' environmental footprint. For example, lighting should be kept to a minimum during daylight hours. Only small amounts of water should be used when cleaning kennels. Natural cleaners should only be used to clean up messes.
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