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What Happens in Vegas … is Sustainable?
Wait a minute! When you think of Vegas, sprawling hotels and casinos, the last thing you think about is Sustainable Travel, right? And when you think about Sustainable Tourism you think about the Eco Lodge in Costa Rica. Well, think again!
One of the most exciting trends in Sustainable Travel is the move from niche market to mainstream. When the new CityCenter was inaugurated in Las Vegas last year a new standard for Sustainable travel was set. Each of the six Hotel properties of the $8.5 billion CityCenter project on the Las Vegas Strip opened with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) Gold certification, creating a complete game-change for the future of the hospitality industry. This is an awesome example of how business leaders can make real change happen!
Alan Feldman, Senior VP Public Affairs with MGM Mirage said, “We set out on a mission to create a healthier experience for the guest. This has been the world’s largest project to seek LEED certification and has driven economies of scale for green technology.”
So let’s talk about some of the cool things they have done, not just for the guests and residents, but also for the over 12,000 people who will be working there!
- All of their wood and paper products are sourced from sustainably harvested FSC-certified wood suppliers.
- For the first time energy will be generated on The Strip thanks to an 8.5 megawatt natural gas co-generation plant which not only provides efficient electricity on site but also reduces emissions and uses “waste heat” to provide all domestic hot water.
- Water conservation technology and programs will save 40% of water within the buildings and 60% in outdoor landscaping, for an overall savings of approximately 50 million gallons annually.
- World’s first fleet of stretch limos powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG).
- Development of slot machine bases that serve as displacement ventilation units, efficiently cooling guests from the ground up, rather than wasting energy on empty space by cooling from the ceiling
I also had the pleasure of attending a meeting at Caesar’s Palace last year, where the company’s CodeGreen leadership team us on a “back of the house” walk-through of Caesar’s and showed us some of their unique initiatives. They took us to their “docks” where all of their waste is sorted, because their philosophy is not to burden the guest with where to put the trash, but to take care of it behind the scenes. Here are some cool findings;
- Each month they recuperate at least $20,000 worth of their own assets (TV remotes, dishes, cocktail glasses, etc) from the garbage.
- All of the restaurants on the property compost
- All of their cooking oil is given to the school district to fuel school buses
- Harrah’s employee engagement and satisfaction has grown immensely since they implemented their Code Green program and any employee on the property can tell you about their program, proudly.
All of this is a great example of how the Travel and Tourism industry is stepping up to face some unique challenges, but also to provide transformative solutions. With more buyers and sellers of travel focused on travel product that offers quality, efficiency and Sustainability, we have an opportunity to make many more travel experiences Sustainable!
Written by Leilani C. Latimer
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