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This year the San Diego Zoo's major annual fundraiser, which is also San Diego's largest food and wine tasting event, "Celebration for the Critters" is getting a little bit "greener" making the benefit for wildlife even more beneficial to the environment. Tickets for the September 29th fundraiser go on sale this week.

Gone are the days of disposable plates, utensils, cups and water bottles, this year the estimated 3,000 guests will dine from ecologically-friendly products, reducing the event's ecological footprint from elephant sized to pocket mouse.

"This is a very important fundraiser that supports the Zoological Society of San Diego's crucial conservation efforts to save endangered species," said Christina Carreno, event supervisor. "This year we are taking that mission one step further by ensuring that the event itself has a smaller ecological impact."

Each year the fundraiser, which features incredible edibles from more than 175 of San Diego County's finest eateries and wineries, generates hundreds of thousands of dollars for conservation. But it also generated a lot of trash, from 38,000 plates and nearly as many forks to 75,000 napkins, 25,000 cups and more.

"We've wanted to make this event green for several years and every year we'd test different environmentally-friendly products in hopes of replacing the plastic disposables, but there weren't many realistic options on the market. Now that there are, we are eager to make the switch," said Carreno. "This year all the utensils, cups, plates and bowls will be made from corn starch or other biodegradable products. And instead of giving away thousands of half-litter water bottles, we'll strategically position several water stations throughout the Zoo so that guests can refill their biodegradable cups."

As an added measure, the Zoo, who partners with Monterey Bay's "Seafood Watch," has asked that all food vendors who serve seafood menus at the event offer only certified sustainable seafood varieties.

Although Celebration for the Critters is the Zoo's first major "green" event, the Zoological Society of San Diego has long been a leader of conservation on every level.

In June, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders honored the Zoological Society with an "Environmental Partner Award for 2007." Earlier this year the Zoo was awarded by the State of California for its environmental stewardship in waste reduction. This week the Zoo unveils a new "GreenZoo" store featuring only recycled, reusable, fair trade and environmentally sustainable products. And this September 29th the Zoo will launch its first major green event.

The theme of "Celebration for the Critters" is "Flights of Fancy." The event is presented by Cymer, Inc. and all monies generated by the fundraiser are earmarked for five key conservation projects underway by the Zoo's center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species. The projects include breeding programs for San Clemente Island loggerhead shrikes and recovery efforts for the California Condor, conservation of Hawaiian birds, reproductive ecology studies of New Zealand's kiwi and habitat protection for Monarch butterflies in Mexico.

In addition to great food and drinks, there will be live music, up-close animal presentations and various special entertainment. The event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and continues until midnight on Sept. 29. General admission is $90 per person through Sept. 15. Thereafter general tickets are $100. Guests who want to grab the first sips and bites before anyone else can purchase early admission tickets to the event for $150. An exclusive VIP "Champagne with the Critters" experience is $275 per person. The event is for adults 21-years-of-age and older. Purchase tickets or learn more by visiting www.celebrationforthecritters.com.

The center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego, participates in conservation and research work around the globe and is responsible for maintaining accredited horticultural, animal, library, and photo collections. The Zoological Society also manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo and the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat). The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by the Foundation for the Zoological Society of San Diego.