Echo18 Recap Book

ECHO exists because zoos and aquariums are the world’s greatest mechanism to inspire future conservationists.

Earth is experiencing the greatest loss of biodiversity in recorded history. Humans are growing more distracted and disconnected from the natural world, and zoos are facing an identity crisis. Yet, in spite of these adversities, leaders in the aquarium and zoological community continue to work for a brighter future.

The purpose of ECHO is to support this mission by infusing our best ideas with the brilliance, innovation, and experience of influencers from a variety of fields outside our own.

If we want different results, we must be courageous enough to take a new approach. ECHO is GLMV Zoos’ new approach, and ECHO18 was filled with idea collision, deliberate discussion, and new thought partnership – all to advance the future of zoos

ECHO18 AT-A-GLANCE

Slightly perplexed and a bit apprehensive. That pretty well sums up ECHO18 participants’ faces at our opening reception, which was probably because we were asking them to crawl into a wooden box on wheels and fly down a hill at 30 mph. We’d come together to be courageous, right? But it wasn’t long before Joe Fitting and Jason Watters were flying down the hill on the National Soapbox Derby championship course, with the rest of our ECHO group close behind. In all the laughter and friendly competition, we only had one close call… we won’t name names.

From the Derby, we hopped on the trolley and had dinner among the giants at the Goodyear Blimp Hangar. We mingled under the newest blimp and watched pilots practicing touchdowns outside, all while learning about Goodyear’s legacy of constantly working to improve and innovate. To wrap up this quintessentially Akron experience, we enjoyed Swenson’s burgers and shakes to celebrate Akron’s place in hamburger history.

Day 3 opened with a lively discussion on the success of behavioral change through the lens of healthcare organizations (more on page 11), followed by another Akron Zoo tour to learn more about Big Hanna, the most efficient composting system to date in a zoological setting. Because the smell of hot compost makes most people hungry, we headed to lunch and a conversation about planetary wellness and our role in changing the tide for the better. We concluded the afternoon with a big group think-tank and working session to develop action items for each of us to take back to our organizations and implement. We concluded ECHO18 that night with an amazing dinner under the lights and sounds of lemurs at the Akron Zoo.

ECHO, as Scott Shoemaker and Roxanna Breitigan said, makes your brain hurt, but in a good way. So, if you find yourself scratching your head as you read through the session summaries, good! We consider that a success.

Day 2 kicked off with Joel Sartore, National Geographic photographer and founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark. Joel is not only a masterful storyteller, he challenged some of our sticking points as zoological professionals (more on page 5). After our first Akron Zoo tour, we heard from panelists on biomimicry design, integration, and an entirely different way to understand the value of nature and its 3.8 billion years of research and development (more on page 7). We then journeyed to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to see their new Asian Highlands habitat and enjoy dinner at the beautiful Stillwater Place.

ECHO makes your brain hurt, but in a good way.

People aren't resistant to all change, they are resistant to change they don't understand or benefit from.

– Mike Clifford ”

THE OLDEST STORYTELLING

SESSION 1

Joel

Joel Sartore is a natural storyteller, molding his adventures and memories to reach 49 million people annually with his stories. Ultimately, what Joel is best known for is his use of the world’s oldest storytelling – imagery.

As a photographer for National Geographic and as founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark, Joel is intimately tied to the life-and-death realities of conservation. As he spoke with us, sharing stories from his career and illustrating the plight of today’s natural world with his iconic photography, he affirmed in us the hope we offer as zoos and aquariums. He shared unique perspectives, having photographed 8,485 species across 40 countries. But he also challenged us to face some hard realities.

If zoos and aquariums are going to survive, we have to give it all we've got. If we are going to be successful, it will take hope, determination, and courage. This world and the animals we serve need a community of determined leaders to go another day, find another way, and never let go of our hope that it can work.

We touched on some sensitive topics in the zoological world, including a need to provide more hands-on opportunities to feed and touch ambassador animals in professional care. Done well, it’s safe for animals and humans, enhances life for all involved, and inspires people to care. So what stops us? What is more important? Our idea of what a zoo has always been or should be, or the reality of what species-at-large and a curious public need it to be?

And as we discussed transparency, we arrived here: millions upon millions of people like zoos. We educate, we inspire, and we are still places of entertainment. Rather than fighting against that, we need to capture that potential and view it through the lens of the bigger picture.

But even many of our supporters admit to being uncomfortable with certain components of the zoological world. So, “here’s a big one,” Joel said, “Stop calling yourselves ‘zoos.’” There were a few laughs. Some raised eyebrows. Certainly lots of uncomfortable shifting in our seats. But Joel doubled down, “The public doesn’t like that word. You’ve got to drop it.”

Joel asserted that we can either spend decades trying to change the damaging misconceptions tied to the word “zoo,” or we can just... rebrand.

“Change your name. Try sanctuary. Wildlife park. Just not zoo.” This may not sit well with everyone, but he brings up a great point – language is important. Some organizations have successfully navigated this approach, like New York’s Wildlife Conservation Society and Albuquerque’s BioPark. Others have tried with hit-or-miss results. And beyond “zoo,” there are many other terms that mean something internally and another thing entirely to those outside the zoological world: Collection planning. Curator. Exhibit. Captivity.

If the ultimate goal of aquariums and zoos is to transform public opinion and behavior for the benefit of all living things, then shouldn’t we try to reduce some of the smaller barriers in converting more guests to conservationists? As Joel flashed photo after photo of now-extinct species, he reminded us, “we don’t have time not to.”

DISCUSSION POINTS

♦ If not “zoos,” then who are we? What alternative language best describes the work your organization does?

♦ What does it mean to you for zoos to be "on the offensive"?

♦ Joel suggested more guest contact with ambassador animals in professional care, but that comes with its own negative connotations. How do we navigate that?

It’s our job to make them care. No one else is going to do this, so we gotta throw everything we got at it.

– Joel Sartore, founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark

Sartore, founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark & National Geographic photographer

SESSION 2

Dr. Vikram Shyam, NASA Glenn; Dr. Peter Niewiarowski, University of Akron; Dr. David Benko & Sarah Han, Goodyear Innovation

BIOMIMICRY: 3.8 B YEARS OF R&D

Arguably the world’s greatest research and development leader, Nature has been testing her theories for more than 3.8 billion years.

Dr. Vikram “Vik” Shyam, founder of NASA Glenn’s Virtual Interchange for Nature-inspired Exploration (VINE), opened this session by stating, “Nature is not concerned with what succeeds. It measures what doesn’t fail.” Biomimicry is about opening our eyes to the brilliance, innovation, and creativity of nature to discover new concepts and solutions.

Vik shared about the variety of human creations that were inspired by nature. Wind turbine blades? Whale fins. Drone propellers? Maple tree seeds. A little invention called Velcro? Cockleburs. Puncture-resistant tires? Fish scales. So, where does the zoo world come in? NASA Glenn and the Akron Zoo have committed to a thought partnership, creating collisions to explore the design, shape, and make-up of penguin feathers to inform materials for use in outer space.

Dr. David Benko and Sarah Han from Goodyear talked about some of the unique ways we could practically apply biomimicry to our zoological teams. There are essentially two pathways for biomimicry science to be applied. Pathway 1 starts with a defined question, then scours nature looking for answers. In this Pathway, our own biomimicry teams might develop a list of concerns, questions, or needs, and meet weekly to discuss their findings rooted in Nature’s response. Pathway 2 is pure science: Simply observe the creativity and oddities of Nature, with no question or solution in mind. This Pathway would look more like biomimicry team members exploring the zoo or aquarium, observing plant and animal behavior and biomechanics.

Peter Niewiarowski, director of the Biomimicry Research Center at the University of Akron, built on this idea that there is true economic value in humans being curious about nature. He shared exciting new developments in corporate partnerships, as organizations all over the world are adopting biomimicry teams. Specifically, he detailed the mission of Great Lakes Biomimicry to expand and train people in these techniques and in taking an all-encompassing view of nature.

In our conservation discussions, we often focus on individual behavior change, rooted in care, but we also know that the majority of the world’s natural resource depletion comes from big companies looking to make money. So what if these companies saw big value in preserving nature because they viewed it as the most extensive R&D lab on the planet? What if aquariums and zoos could actually open their doors to host this conversation? In the spirit of thought partnership and thinking differently, what if we held co-patents on products that make significant revenue in the corporate world? There are important ethical considerations here, but... what if? Like so many generations before us, how might we find ourselves mesmerized as we begin to see the true capacity of the natural world?

DISCUSSION POINTS

♦ What would it look like for aquariums and zoos to partner more closely with corporate research? Could we generate revenue this way?

♦ How can biomimicry inform nonphysical innovations, such as behavior change, organizational systems, and learning?

♦ What problems can biomimicry help us solve?

Nature doesn’t measure success. It measures what doesn’t fail.

– Dr. Vikram Shyam

ONE HEALTH: TRANSFORMING HABITS

SESSION 3

Dr. Lydia Cook, Summa Health; Dr. Kim Cook, Akron Zoo; Dr. Brent Pawlecki, Goodyear Innovation

The more we study, the more we realize the interconnectedness of the world around us. One Health is the idea that the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems are all interconnected. As Dr. Kim Cook of The Akron Zoo presented, 23% of all global deaths are linked to the environment, and 75% of all emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic. It’s only getting more complicated as the world gets smaller. This emerging One Health field intensifies the collaborative approach to healthcare by bringing as many different disciplines together as possible. It’s more effective. It not only saves money, but it also identifies globally destructive issues and diseases before they spread.

Historically, humanity waits until something breaks before fixing it, but One Health works to predict and mitigate issues before catastrophic problems arise, and it’s working! Dr. Cook shared her vision of how One Health concepts could be applied to aquariums and zoos.

The obvious application, of course, is shifting away from 11th-hour conservation rescue efforts and focusing instead on the foundational issues causing species loss. The second application is integrating all fields of expertise within aquariums or zoos. Dr. Cook diagrammed how all departments can be involved in the health of a zoological organization. In order to make positive movement on highly complex problems, we will need to consider increasing the complexity of our solution process instead of simplifying it.

If an apple a day really kept the doctor away, than why don't we all start eating apples? Because behaviors are formed in our lives, communities, and cultures over time. Our panel of thought partners represented successful experiments in shifting day-to-day behavior in order to positively impact the health of large groups.

Dr. Lydia Cook, president of Summa Health, has been championing a different way to think about health. Most people only see a doctor when there is a problem. However, 85% of healthcare dollars spent are for chronic issues. These are often a result of daily decisions and habits compounded over time. Dr. Cook’s team has been working to address the systemic communal issues at the core of health. The largest single determinant of health (40%) is social and environmental factors. The second largest, at 30%, is health behaviors. So 70% of key determinants of health can be altered.

In order to change these behaviors, Summa Health has taken a multi-disciplinary, multi-touch approach by including social workers, cultural liaisons, churches, families, doctors, economists, and environmentalists. As Dr. Cook said, “Fragmented delivery systems result in failure to integrate the patient into the care process.” We must consider the whole community that influences a person.

If we don’t engage in failure, we’ll never engage in learning.

“ “

Dr. Brent Pawlecki, with Goodyear Innovation, shared some of his endeavors to improve health through behavior change in a corporate setting. His job is to improve the health of all Goodyear employees, and in turn, advance the company’s workforce, products, and mission. At Goodyear, they have implemented a series of small tactics to change the behavior of staff. For example, cafeteria pricing. Employees can choose the unhealthy options, but they will have to pay more for them. In fact, Goodyear raised the price of soda in the vending machines by just one cent, and found that, due to the additional effort to acquire a penny, soda purchases were greatly decreased while the purchase of low- and nosugar options increased.

As organizations, we have the opportunity to alter people’s long-standing value systems and begin to shift their behaviors. How could we consider altering our own staff health programs? Could we reward those who bicycle to work? Can we offer incentives for more green practices, energy reduction, or conservation behaviors at work and at home? If our staff model it, our ability to compel the general public toward change expands exponentially.

DISCUSSION POINTS

♦ Can we create a business model where we price environmentally friendly products in our gift shops and restaurants to encourage guests to choose them?

♦ What are the social determinants of conservation?

♦ We like people to make the right choices, but are we OK with altering the system to coerce them in their decision-making toward better planetary health?

Senior leaders' deep commitment to the health of your people is absolutely key.

– Brent Pawlecki

Akron Zoo's focus on sustainability has reduced our water use by 80% since 2009.

– Chris Norman

PLANETARY WELLNESS

SESSION 4

Doug Piekarz & Chris Norman, Akron Zoo; Mark Fisher, Cincinnati Zoo

Amidst The Sixth Extinction, we sit in a unique place: we are advocates and ambassadors for life on the planet and potential change agents for roughly 180 million people. But we are also part of the problem. Loss of biodiversity is largely driven by too many people consuming too much, and we certainly fall into that group.

While we are traditionally resource-heavy facilities, we have the opportunity to rethink that consumption. Doug Piekarz and Chris Norman, of Akron Zoo, led our group in discussing how we can be trailblazers in sustainability. And they would know. They are on track to become a zero-waste facility. They've reduced water use at the zoo by 80% since 2009. And they recently became the first zoo in the world to begin using the large-scale Big Hanna composter system.

A number of zoological facilities have proven that green practices are not only the better choice ecologically, they also provide a return on our investment and generate revenue. Mark Fisher, director of operations at the Cincinnati Zoo, shared the tremendous success of their parking lot solar panels, an investment that has already nearly paid for itself while significantly cutting utility bills. We can begin to rethink so many other areas of operation within our sphere of influence: concessions, single-use plastics, and gift-shop suppliers. Resources like water, electricity, building materials, and fuels. Practices such as composting, landscaping, or even growing food on site.

But how do we get the ball rolling? Start small: "Call an architect," according to Mark, "or your facilities manager." Call a plumber, an electrician. Check every outlet and every leak. Coordinate with people who know every nook and cranny of your facilities.

If we care about saving animals, we should first do everything we can to reduce our impact on their ecosystems. From there, we can champion sustainable conservation in our communities.

DISCUSSION POINTS

♦ What sustainability measures are you taking today? Do you have a vision for the future?

♦ How do we see ourselves as a critical asset to our community?

WRAP-UP: ACTIONS TO TAKE

SESSION 5

David Walsh & Kathy Wagner, Zoo Advisors

As ECHO18 concluded, Zoo Advisors led our group in a series of collaborative brainstorming exercises: What were the key takeaways? What will you commit to doing when you return home?

We have to be willing to take risks. Our zoological community has become hesitant to step out and try something new. We get stuck trying to be all things to all people, and it simply splinters our efforts and hinders our success.

TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS FROM ECHO18

(Courtesy of David Walsh, Zoo Advisors)

It is critical that we model the behaviors we are asking of our guests. In order to get others to care, we must first get our teams to care.

We need to find more thought partners. In keeping with the basic model of ECHO – find people who think differently and begin discussing and brainstorming. Create opportunity for the collision of ideas. Step outside your comfort zone. We are all connected. There is no us versus them in the conservation world.

We need to go on the offensive. Decide what you need to accomplish, and go for it.

THINK BIG! We dream way too small and small dreams are hard for people to get on board with.

And while we’re dreaming, how amazing would it be to leverage our large platform in order to champion a cause that benefits the entire world, while capitalizing on their support to advance our missions as well? We should put more emphasis on partnering with other One Health organizations – anyone working toward the thriving of all living things is an ally in our work.

What if we could set our sights on being the conservation champions for our community, region, state, country? Could we strive for more than surviving the current state of affairs? Could we become such an essential asset to our community that people couldn’t fathom life without us? We certainly think so.

What would happen if you gathered creative people from your organization together and simply asked each other, “what can we do better?” How do you think things would change?

Thank you, to our participants

For your courageous creativity and rugged commitment to the future of zoos and aquariums

Fort Fisher | Roanoke Island | Pine Knoll Shores

Thank you, to our hosts

With special thanks to Doug Piekarz, Linda Criss, Pat Waickman, Dr. Kim Cook, Chris Norman, Libby Busnick, Johnetta Harris, Lee Kopp, and the rest of the tremendously talented Akron Zoo team!

For your hospitality, resources, and visionary leadership in fostering this movement and community

With special thanks to Dr. Chris Kuhar and the team at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for hosting us Wednesday evening.

Thank you, to our speakers...and to our sponsors

For sharing your knowledge, your thought partnership, and your work to ensure the thriving of all living beings

For your generous support and partnership in crafting a brighter future for zoos and aquariums

“One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone. It is individual efforts, collectively, that makes a noticeable difference—all the difference in the world!”

Dr. Jane Goodall

Experts in Developing Impactful Conservation Strategies

zooadvisors.com

ECHO is a safe place to discuss all ideas, and demonstrates a cool combination of our work with other professional disciplines.

Again, one of my favorite conferences.

Great opportunity to meet creative minds and our industry's thought leaders. And the ECHO team makes it easy to do.

The thoughtfulness at ECHO pushed me to define implementation I've been considering.

I am SO impressed with the dedication of GLMV Zoos for pushing these opportunities to talk and explore ideas.

I would highly recommend ECHO. It takes you away from run-of-the mill discussions and helps you look at situations through different lenses. You still speak about relevant issues but in a less political, defensive, or traditional manner.

ECHO is a must-attend. High-level thinking for zoo and aquarium professionals about topics that are important to us and the future of the planet.

These are not typical zoo workshops. Bringing in people from outside the profession to share how they've handled challenges similar to those facing the zoo and aquarium community opens us up to new ways to solve problems.

If you want your brain to hurt in a good way, than this is the think-tank symposium for you.

ECHO18 inspired me to speak a courageous truth. Collectively, we can make a difference.

Not only did it shift my frame of reference, it provided more quality time with zoo colleagues I may not get to spend time with at larger conferences. I liked the variety of zoo staff in attendance.

WHAT'S NEXT? ECHO DIGITAL

ECHO Digital was born out of alumni's desire to keep the conversation moving. With our hectic schedules, how do we maintain the fresh perspectives on creativity, culture change, and innovation we discovered during ECHO events?

We facilitate an open conversation for zoological professionals on the third Tuesday of every month. Our goal is to create conversations where passionate people can connect with innovative ideas from outside the zoological field, as well as with other zoo colleagues around the country in a safe, relaxed, and flexible environment .

JOIN OUR UPCOMING ECHO DIGITAL SESSIONS!

Email Mike Clifford at mclifford@glmv.com

RECENT ECHO DIGITAL SESSIONS

The Attention Crisis: Are We Contributing To or Cutting Through the Clamor?

A Brand New Zoo: What to Do and What Not to Do

Words Matter When Ideas Have Sex: The Dangers of Standardization & Homogeny in Zoos

Sticky Ideas: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Don’t

MEET THE WILDER SIDE OF GLMV

...Where We’re Reimagining the Zoo.

We’d love to meet you on the forefront of immersive design, where we work tirelessly to enhance animal quality of life, staff engagement and fulfillment, and guest experience. Our team knows that zoos are uniquely poised to promote conservation efforts and public interest in issues that may otherwise seem a world away.

And that’s just what we do, through barrier-breaking habitats, master planning, conservation planning, large-scale landscaping, and design for front entries, foodservice, and education centers. In this studio, projects are inspired by nature and designed by GLMV.

GLMV Zoos is led by nationally recognized zoo designer Craig A. Rhodes, AIA, as a studio of GLMV Architecture. His passion and depth of zoo experience, coupled with GLMV’s resources and full range of services, provide our clients with the trusted expertise necessary for one-of-a-kind zoo experiences.