Sustainability is more than an
opportunity to whitewash one’s brand name. In today’s world, CO2 emissions are
reaching precipitous rates and consumerism is making a reluctant reality check.
Believe or not, casinos are also trying to be perceived as more eco-friendly
places where you can sip on a cocktail and dive into the neon-lit bowels of the
gaming world without ever having to worry about over-consumption.
But how do you gauge the sustainability
of a project? Well, there are many things that come into play, from the
materials used in building a venue to the lighting and heating.
While not all casino venues have
set out with the idea of being environmentally conscious when they first opened
doors, many are quickly catching up and making sure their brands are seen as
originators of positive change in the world of gambling. Today, we take a look
at several good examples for successful sustainability practices.
How Are Casinos Complying with Eco Standards in 2020?
Good examples of eco-friendly
solutions in the casino world abound. As we turn the leaf of a new year and
climate change is upon us, making environmentally-conscious decisions remains a
top priority on the agenda of many casinos.
MGM estimates that around 10% of
the total power consumption can be satisfied via the new solar panel canopy. Given
the property’s impressive sprawl of 2 million sq ft, MGM is definitely making
its best to keep up with tackling climate change.
To address issues of climate
change properly, however, MGM has assigned a top man on the job in the face of Jyoti
Chopra who serves as the brand’s Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity and
Sustainability Officer.
Meanwhile, Melco Resorts &
Entertainment has announced its decision to remove single-use plastic from
its properties in a bid to tackle plastic pollution in the oceans.
As Melco puts it, a sustainable future is a better future, and the casino company’s efforts to offer better, more
eco-friendly solutions will continue until 2030 in the very least. More “unique
sustainable experiences” are coming.
Other brands setting a good
example have been The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel where food waste and
electric vehicles (EVs) have been taken very seriously.
In fact, Macao encourages visitors
to use EVs through the deployment of parking lots with charging stations.
Moreover, Melco’s operator, Las Vegas Sands Corp., has been very serious about
slashing food waste across the board.
Casinos Get Creative with Food and Local Sourcing
Sustainability is evidently about
addressing a range of issues, from the one-use items that turn into
unrecyclable waste to squandering organic materials that can otherwise help. Meanwhile,
one of the sure-fire ways to reduce the economic impact of transporting food is
focusing on ingredients obtained locally.
That is why the Mandalay Bay
Resorts has decided to make its absolute best in negative the downsides of
transporting food by sourcing products and ingredients locally. An ambitious
task that has nevertheless had its economic windfall, supported producers and
slashed CO2 footprint.
Moreover, the facility also uses
smart heating systems, which calculates when the heating can be cut off in
certain parts of the facility so as to lead to overall lower consumption. Even
something as simple as bars of soap can be recycled efficiently.
For example, Caesar’s
Entertainment has teamed up with Clean the World to recycle bars of soap
and has so far donated over 2.4 million bars across the world! Other
properties, such as the Turtle Greek Casino and Hotel, has replaced part of its lightning system with skylights leading to a considerable drop in electricity bills.
Learning from the Best Practices
The fact is sustainable casinos
are already here. Some properties are naturally restricted to their designs,
but as brands add more square footage to their facilities, they always seek to
innovative.
Most new design is cutting-edge so
as to reflect the affluence of the brands, but underneath the veneer, there are
clear signs that architects are thinking about the environmental challenges we
as a species face.
Using specific materials, such as
marble, timber and slate is a good way to start. Yet, where material
constraints exist, there are multiple ways to counterweight this by adopting
more conscientious efforts to tackle the aforenoted problems, including
minimizing food waste and frivolous use of lightning and heating systems that
could otherwise be let to rest.
Introducing LED lighting, adding solar canopies and using smart sensors to regulate temperature have been just a few of the practices casinos have been open to.
They are encouraging local
production and building sustainable – if somewhat dependent – communities
around them.
The Future of Casino Sustainability in 2020 and Beyond
In 2020, in light of dramatic
climate changes that threaten the livelihood and often the lives of people,
casinos must adopt sustainable practices that aid the environment and their
local communities.
Water conservation should be one
of the top priorities for many companies out there. Casinos are quite capable
of managing their water resources with enviable accuracy. Smart landscaping
techniques are most of the reason why behind this success.
In Nevada for example, casinos
only consume up to 4% of the state’s water supply, but then again, they constitute
a big percentage of the Silver State’s GDP, showing that in certain areas, most
gambling properties are actually quite accomplished.
True, you might think that casinos
are still dropping the ball in certain areas. For example, you can’t really
find places to recycle yourself on most resorts, but that’s just because most
casinos hire armies of recycling crews who sort out the trash.
Wynn Resorts have also been
helping a whole lot by offering frozen leftover food – and specifically
untouched food – to feed people in need.
All of this paints an industry
that may have built its fortune on people’s proclivity to gamble away fortunes,
but in many ways, the biggest casino brands out there are the ones who have
taught themselves to recycle the best and negate their impact on the
environment. In fact, casinos are even helping by setting new standards for
eco-friendliness in the entertainment business.
Kevin was raised on sports since a young teen and following a (fortunate) injury pursued new hobbies in table games such as Blackjack and Poker. Since 2009 Kevin has been writing for casino sites for various big names in the industry and CasinoSites.us is but one of his latest passion projects.