BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Friday is Earth Day, and one way that people are doing their part to help the planet is by releasing a natural bug killer in one of the largest indoor spaces in the Twin Cities.
Starting at 6:30 a.m., kids are dumping buckets full of ladybugs on the live plants in Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America.
Like any plant, the foliage in the mall's amusement park can be eaten by pests like aphids. MOA has found the most efficient way to deal with these bugs is with, well... other, better bugs.
The Mall of America has been using ladybugs as a pesticide for almost 30 years.
According to information from MOA, one of the largest malls in the country has been environmentally friendly since they opened their doors in 1992. They recycle more than 60% of their waste, send more than 2,400 tons of food waste to a local hog farm, maintain the indoor temp of 70 degrees with passive solar energy from skylights, and rely on more than 5,400 LED bulbs in the parking ramps to reduce energy costs.
These measures are in addition to the 30,000 live plants and 400 live trees working as natural air purifiers in the building.
You can find more information about MOA's commitment to "going green" here.
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