Sostenibilidad en el Shedd

INTRODUCTION  

Opening its doors to the public in 1930, Acuario Shedd is a 458,000-square-foot historic aquarium in Chicago, IL, welcoming nearly 2 million guests each year and serving over 32,000 animals. With partners in Chicago and around the globe, Shedd is protecting endangered species and their habitats while rehabilitating wildlife in need. Moreover, they ensure a thriving blue future for wildlife and people through sustainable operations that empower their community to champion the cause.

As one of the leading institutions in adopting greener practices in daily operations, Shedd has taken actions ranging from reducing resource consumption to strategically investing funds. Not only have they significantly reduced their energy footprint, cut water use in half, and achieved 80% landfill diversion for waste, but they have also built a strong internal culture of conservation and sustainability among staff at all levels. 

WATER 

The aquarium manages approximately 5 million gallons of saltwater and freshwater for their habitats. This water is filtered, recycled, and reused to minimize waste through a water-transfer mechanism between habitats – saving the aquarium about 2 million gallons of water per year.

Additionally, Shedd continues to see large water savings from mechanical improvements to the condenser water system and through collecting over 600,000 gallons of rainwater annually from its roof. The collected rainwater is utilized in the aquarium roof condenser system to keep the entire aquarium—including animals and visitors — cool throughout the summer.

WASTE 

Each year, Shedd diverts an average of 80% of its waste from landfills through dedicated recycling and composting initiatives. These efforts are accomplished in collaboration with different stakeholders: 

• Visitors: The initial filtration of waste happens while visitors are in the aquarium, dividing waste into three streams: receptacles for recycling, compost, and landfill in the building.  
• Staff and Volunteers: Shedd offers a “Recycling Row”, where staff and volunteers can drop off used items, clothing, electronics, light bulbs, ink cartridges, latex and nitrile gloves, etc.
• Food courts: All paper products used in Shedd Aquarium are compostable and go through meticulous composting processes with waste management partners.  
• Local university students: Shedd’s kitchen collects used grease from students at a local university to convert biodiesel and power shuttle bus fleet, enhancing a reduction of individual vehicles.  
• Food delivery partner: Shedd uses wood pallets for daily food deliveries or reuses plastic delivery materials for up to a decade before recycling.  
• Store retail partner: Shedd plans to be single-use plastic free by summer 2025 and improve waste reduction through design, manufacturing, shipping. Selling products made with 100% recycled materials, eliminating plastic bread fillers, and creating cardboard packing instead of plastic will all support this goal.

ENERGY  

Shedd Aquarium is a strong leader in energy efficiency. Through smart building operations, the aquarium has decreased their overall energy use by 22%. These achievements are the result of making big changes through their smart building operations. Upgrades include the conversion of aquarium lighting to LED, placing a 265-kilowatt solar array on top of the Oceanarium roof, and implementing a chilled water plant. Additionally, Shedd utilizes electrical sub-meters within their operational dashboard that monitor the aquarium’s electrical usage in real time. These innovations not only improve energy efficiency but also help to preserve a healthy environment for their animals. 

CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT  

Beyond incorporating conservation principles into their everyday operations, Shedd extends these efforts outside of the aquarium. As a dedicated member of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, Shedd continues to work towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting environmental sustainability.  Shedd also participates in the #FramingOurFuture campaign which supports critical and important policies aimed at protecting aquatic marine life and restoring costal ecosystems.  

One of Shedd’s many core values is community involvement- meaning that they believe combating climate change requires a collective effort from both the organization and the public. Shedd offers a variety of programs like Action Days, where participants can build meaningful connections with the environment through hands-on activities such as beach cleanups, coastal habitat restorations, and river plantings with native aquatic species. In addition to hands-on activities, Shedd also offers resources to help individuals learn more on how to responsibly reduce their own consumption and waste. Through these initiatives, Shedd continuously makes an effort to demonstrate ways in which everyone can become involved in sustainability and conservation, not just the aquarium itself. 

CALL TO ACTION

Bob Wengel, Senior Vice President of Facilities and Security at Shedd Aquarium, recently published an article entitled: A Call to Businesses: Step Up for Sustainability on our collective climate responsibility.

While national policies for conservation and sustainability regulations continue to shift in 2025, the business community holds influence and capacity to step up and become visible leaders in climate innovation. 

The 2023 report from Deloitte indicates that most business leaders agree it’s possible to achieve economic growth and eco-friendly goals simultaneously. Shedd Aquarium emphasizes that sustainability is not only achievable but also critical for business success, as younger consumers are more aware, demanding transparency, environmental stewardship, and responsibility from the brands they support and engage with. 

Shedd encourages the business community to act: planning, investing, and a shift in collective mindset are essential. Resources are available for businesses across industries. Collaboration with NGOs and alignment with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals can provide valuable guidance. 

---