Legoland Florida will run on renewable energy for Earth Day 2014

Legoland Florida will run entirely on renewable energy for Earth Day 2014, a first for a US theme park.

This is more than a single day event. Earth Day will also mark the beginning of a partnership with Tampa Electric that will provide educational installations about solar energy – as well as practical installations. A 30-kilowatt solar panel array has been installed on the park’s Imagination Zone, which will permanently power the park’s Imagination Zone on renewable energy.

Together, we’ll teach the next generation about the benefits of investing in renewable fuels like the sun to produce electricity (Bruce Narzissenfeld, vice president of marketing, customer service, business development and fuel operations for Tampa Electric.)

An interactive 6-foot Lego Earth model placed outside the Imagination Zone will allow visitors will be able to affect the rate of the Earth model’s rotation with tactile solar panels. There will also be an interactive zone with mini model communities running on renewable energy at Imagination Zone.

Legoland Florida has pursued environmental goals since its construction. The park recycled 18,000 tons of existing concrete by using the material as a base layer in its new sidewalks. The park also relocated more than 660 trees during construction, then replanted them on the site when building was complete.

Source: Orlando Sentinel & Think Progress.