Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is celebrating Earth Day with an educational event hosted by the Zoo Academy high school students. Party for the Planet will feature a sustainability market, educational booths, a scavenger hunt and more, all with the goal of educating guests about conservation.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium’s Zoo Academy is a two-year program for high school juniors and seniors in the Omaha and Council Bluffs metro. Zoo Academy provides students with knowledge and career explorations relating to environmental and life sciences through authentic STEM experiences. Zoo Academy welcomed 108 students in the 2024-2025 academic year. Second-year Zoo Academy students participate in a year-long service-learning project with the goal of improving team building, leadership and communication skills while tying the project to conservation. For this year’s service-learning project, the students were divided into small groups to plan, organize and execute the Zoo’s annual Earth Day event: Party for the Planet.
Party for the Planet activities will be found across the Zoo, including: an educational scavenger hunt throughout the Zoo, a sustainability market featuring conservation-focused and earth-friendly products from local small businesses, animal care presentations, a mini golf course made entirely of recycled materials, ambassador animal presentations and more.