DISNEY [ Environmentally Friendly ] WORLD

Walt Disney has announced that by the end of the year, it will have a 270-acre solar farm to power two of its four theme parks.

The 50-megawatt solar facility will include half a million solar panels and it is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emission by more than 57,000 tons a year, Disney stated in a blog post.

TheWalt Disney Company has launched to deliver its 2020 goal of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared to 2012," Disney mentioned in the announcement.

Back on April 12, 2016 Orlando's Walt Disney World Resort, flipped a giant light switch to mark the highly anticipated opening of a 22-acre, five-megawatt solar facility. Cleverly designed to resemble the familiar "not-so-hidden-Mickey," the massive solar farm that is located near Epcot is clearly visible from Space.

Though producing green energy on such a large scale is a new endeavor, Epcot is no stranger to solar power. The futuristic theme park's Universe of Energy building has been the fueled by the solar panels fitted on its roof since October 1982!

In 2015, Disney reported that they had reduced their carbon footprint by 34% from 2012 levels and is planning to reduce it to 50% by 2020. In addition to switching to solar energy, the company has also been reducing the environmental impact of its operations with other innovations. This includes running Disneyland Resort trains on biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil obtained from the park's restaurants and hotels. The company, which already incinerates almost 50% of the trash generated at its various theme parks is gearing toward increasing that number to 60% so that even less of it ends up in our landfills!

The new solar facility will be near Disney's Animal Kingdom and construction is expected to begin in the coming months.

In addition, teams from Disney's Animals, Science and Environment and Horticulture will come up with ways to make the facility pollinator friendly, meaning wildflowers and vegetation maybe placed there, "creating a safe and welcoming habitat for butterflies, bees and other insects, including endangered and at-risk species," Disney explained.