Disney Parks Are More Eco-Friendly Than You Realize — Here's How They've Been Greening Up

We love swiping a bottle or two of good-smelling body wash and shampoo from our Disney hotel room as much as the next person, but those little bottles create a lot of unnecessary plastic waste. A few years back, Disney World began an initiative to reduce plastic waste across the resort, including replacing some hotel amenities with refillable bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. If you just have to bring that Disney smell home, you can usually pick up a full-size bottle in the gift shop.

For Earth Day 2021, Disney World announced it is building two new 75-megawatt solar facilities, which should be ready to power up in a couple years.

Along with Disney World's existing 270-acre, 50-megawatt solar facility and a smaller, not-so-hidden Mickey solar array, Disney will soon be able to generate enough energy to power 40 percent of its Florida resort.

In addition to greening up its hotel amenities, Disney has steadily been finding other ways to decrease single-use plastics. Plastic straws and stirrers have been eliminated at Disney parks across the globe and we've recently spotted foldable water bottles, portable utensils, and reusable bags for purchase inside the parks.

When Disneyland opened in 1955, its famous railroad ran on coal. Today, the steam trains and the Mark Twain Riverboat use fuel made from the resort's many restaurants. Next time you dine at Disneyland, your meal may actually be helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Disney recently announced its line of classic dolls will soon be available worldwide in plastic-free packaging. The paper boxes can be used as playtime props or toy storage, or tossed in with the recycling. If you just can't wait for these to show up in stores, they're already available on shopDisney.

With more than 30,000 hotel rooms across the resort, Disney World's washing machines see a lot of laundry. In an effort to cut back on water usage, Disney has made it easy for you to reuse your bath towels. Just hang your towel up after using it to signal to housekeeping that you plan to reuse it. Towels left on the floor will be whisked away to what may just be the world's largest laundry room.

Disneyland Paris is getting in on the solar game with one of the largest solar canopies in all of Europe. The project should be complete by 2023 and will generate enough energy to power 17 percent of the resort. It will also provide cars with a bit of shade from the elements and, of course, include its own hidden Mickey.

Disney's Animals, Science, and Environment team has built a number of pollinator-friendly gardens throughout Walt Disney World (including within the new solar facility). Pollinator gardens are grown with yummy plants that bees and butterflies love. Happy pollinators mean happy crops . . . and a better Earth for all of us. Last year on Earth Day, Disney shared instructions for building your own pollinator garden at home.

At Disney's California Adventure, 1,400 solar panels sit atop the Cars-themed Radiator Springs Racers attraction, helping to power the park.