Shanghai Disney Celebrates Earth Month and Continued Sustainability and Environmental Efforts Throughout Resort

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Disney Conservation Fund

Shanghai Disney Resort has revealed some fun and inspiring initiatives that guests, cast members, and local communities can take part in, as well as continued environmental efforts this Earth Month.

What’s Happening:

  • April 1st marks the beginning of Disney Earth Month at Shanghai Disney Resort, where guests, cast and those in the community will be invited to enjoy themselves in nature while being encouraged to take action to protect the Earth we all share.
  • This year also marks the 30th celebration of the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) as well as the 10th anniversary of a bird-monitoring program at Wishing Star Park. To celebrate, the resort will offer a wider variety of engaging and interactive activities.
  • One highlight includes the “ourHOME" Nature Conservation Forum - which will be hosted at Shanghai Disney Resort on Earth Day, April 22nd.
  • In collaboration with National Geographic, this year’s forum aims to inspire sustainability efforts and showcase global efforts to protect, restore and celebrate the natural world by bringing together National Geographic Explorers, renowned experts and enthusiasts from different sectors, nonprofit organizations, volunteers, students and cast members for insightful keynotes and engaging panel discussions.
  • The first Youth Environmental Inspiration Program, a joint effort between Shanghai Disney Resort and Shanghai Science and Education Development Foundation, encourages students to identify environmental issues and their causes in daily life and propose solutions through a competition. The top three celebrated teams will be awarded at the forum. This initiative has helped further cultivate environmental mindsets and push ideas into action among youth, empowering the next generation to make positive changes for our planet.

  • From April 18th to 22nd, “Celebrate Earth Month Fair" will return to the lakeshore lawn at Disneytown. The Fair this year will present an overview of the resort’s nature conservation commitment through a series of themed booths and interactive activities from waste sorting, water saving to exploring nature. National Geographic will return with its iconic yellow border, along with a series of engaging activities.
  • Guests who demonstrate Earth-conscious behaviors during their park visit will have a chance to receive a limited-edition themed sticker from cast members, which is also a part of our efforts to recognize individuals who inspire positive environmental change.
  • In mid-April, more than 100 Disney VoluntEARS and their families will head out to Shanghai Binjiang Forest Park, where the estuary of the Yangtze River is located, to collect trash and waste, raising awareness around plastic pollution and marine litter as pressing environmental issues and promoting conservation efforts through hands-on clean-up activities.
    Earth Month is just one reflection of the ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship at Shanghai Disney Resort. Some of the resort’s recent achievements include:
    • The resort’s Wishing Star Park boasts lush greenery and a diverse ecological system. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the bird-watching program at the beautiful wetland park. 129 different bird species have been monitored on-site as of today.
    • As of mid-March 2025, the resort installed 3,921 solar panels on the roofs or walls of 24 buildings in the backstage areas,  generating a total of 2.69 million kilowatt hours of electricity and reducing carbon emissions by 1127.4 tons.
    • In January of this year, the resort upgraded its existing 40 hybrid shuttle buses to pure electric buses, with an estimated annual carbon reduction of about 1,000 tons. Electrification has been expanded to more areas including backstage transportation services, gardening tools, etc. to reduce carbon emissions.
    • The resort uses treated lake water from a comprehensive water treatment plant for irrigation, ground cleaning, toilet flushing, and landscape hydration. At present, about 40% of the resort’s municipal water usage is replaced by treated water from the Wishing Star Lake. From the Grand Opening in 2016 to the end of 2024, Shanghai Disney Resort has cumulatively utilized over 9.91 million cubic meters of Wishing Star Lake water, saving the equivalent of 4,000 Olympic-size swimming pools worth of municipal water.
    • Based on Disney’s signature storytelling and relentless creativity, the resort has innovatively infused the idea of sustainability into its entertainment experiences, including the magical recycling bin “Xiaotui" and the fun interactive show known to a lot of EPCOT fans, the “JAMMITORS."

What They’re Saying:

  • Andrew Bolstein, President and General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort: “At Shanghai Disney Resort, the magic of nature and Disney storytelling are deeply connected, inspiring us to protect and preserve the world around us. Our commitment to environmental stewardship extends year-round, and we hope that this Earth Month’s celebrations will bring together our guests, cast members, and community in a shared commitment to protecting our planet for generations to come."
Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.
View all articles by Tony Betti