Going Green
Jennette's Pier has a number of systems in place that help us conserve resources, harvest alternative energy sources and in general, operate in harmony with the Earth. Taken together, these sustainable practices allowed the Pier to earn the coveted U. S. Green Building Council's Platium designation for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Degign (LEEDS) back in 2011.
Some of the elements that contribute to sustainability include the reclaimed water sytem, passive solar building design, geothermal heating and cooling system aswell as alternative energy systems including solar and wind turbines. Our turbines sustained major damage in a hurricane several years ago and replacing them has proved to be difficulty. Click here for more information on them.
Reduce. Reuse. RecyclE.
At Jennette's we strive to reduce the use of single use plastics daily. In fact, the Pier Shop now sells canned water instead of in plastic bottles, thanks to Pepsi. All staff members are giving aluminium water bottles when hired so they use it for cold or hot drinks. We "reuse" all of the potty water and it saves us around 65 percent of out total water use, reducing our expense of municipal water.
Recycling is also big at Jennette's Pier and the North Carolina Aquariums in general. Trash cans are coupled with recycle bins and speciality items such as printer cartriges and batteries are collected all year and recycled.