The photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of spark-processed (sp-) Zn and of anodically etched porous Zn (p-Zn) have been studied at various temperatures. These properties are also compared with sintered ZnO. Further, scanning electron micrographs have been taken and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis has been used. The optical properties of the sp-Zn, as well as the p-Zn show some similarities with each other. Specifically, PL spectra of the sp-Zn and anodically etched p-Zn display UV and green luminescence at room temperature. Moreover, both sp-Zn and p-Zn show a red shift of the green luminescence peak upon cooling. The temperature dependence of the PL intensities reveals the broad local disordered states for the sp-Zn as well as the p-Zn prepared in NaOH.