The World’s Greenest Casinos
Against the backdrop of a global climate disaster, Las Vegas, the city of all excesses, has embarked on a race to save energy, now keeping a close eye on its electricity and water consumption thanks to recent reforms. It’s about time they went green, especially since the city is entirely devoted to gambling and is located in the heart of the desert, not far from the infamous Death Valley, with the city being a huge drain on Lake Mead!
Here’s how some of the trendiest land-based casinos have radically changed their tune by adopting an eco-responsible posture, against the tide of the festive and flashy spending that used to characterize them.
The Mandalay Bay and its 26,000 solar panels
Well aware of its impact on the environment, the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino is trying to limit the damage by recycling as much of its own waste as possible and by favoring local products for its cuisine. Like the city as a whole, it is radically reducing its energy bill by 30% per year and has committed to turning off its heating intermittently. Along with the installation of solar panels on the roof alone provides the energy to power 1,300 homes!
On the Las Vegas Strip, the Mandalay Bay Casino & Resort is a real eye-catcher, most recently as the backdrop for a music video for the song “Baby Rock” by rapper Yelawolf. Mandalay Bay is not only a golden façade, it is also a generous company that donates its used bed linen to the NSPCA (Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), a great initiative to help Nevada’s pets!
The Venetian Macao Resort and its LED lights
Based on the same model as the Las Vegas Venetian Hotel, this luxury resort has no less than 4 casinos with 4,500 slot machines and 850 gaming tables where Asian players can indulge their passion for baccarat! Mixing Western and Eastern culture, this hotel-casino has even adopted Feng Shui to respect the sensitivity and well-being of its customers. Thus, the distribution of lighting over several miles was entrusted to the expert hands of the American company FMS (Fisher Marantz Stone) in the hope of saving enough to supply 50,000 homes with electricity for one year! In 2018, its efforts were finally rewarded at the Macau Green Hotel Awards ceremony.
This is the second-largest hotel in the world, and in terms of lighting, it represents quite an investment! Its American sister hotel has received LEED Gold certification for its ecological commitment to reducing energy waste. It’s rare for a brick-and-mortar casino to admit that the days of neon lights and other ostentatious non-stop lights are long gone. But with increasing competition from online casinos such as those with the Eco-Poker label, land-based casinos have had to adapt to stop being considered the world’s biggest polluters, with one casino consuming the equivalent energy of 500,000 homes!
The Royal Sibaya Hotel & Casino and its 100% natural compost
Nevertheless, the gold medal for green economy goes to this South African casino located in Durban. With an image that is the opposite of luxury and glitter, this casino cultivates the art and manner of going off the beaten track, by creating a life-size compost for a “zero waste” objective, with the help of earthworms and other worms.
Whether it’s the cooks or the rest of the service staff, everyone is put to work to recycle all the products consumed on site. More than just an original idea, “worm farms” are very simple to implement in both urban and rural areas when you choose to reduce your kitchen waste by 40-50%, live independently or use the fertilizer produced to feed your vegetable garden or ornamental plantations. We can bet that the founders of the Sibaya Casino and Sun City Resort, the luxury resort created by business tycoon Solomon Kerzner, will continue to surf the new trends. Indeed, the Sun International Group’s intention is to extend this eco-friendly project to all its hotels in South Africa and elsewhere. Let’s hope it continues!
Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino and its soap recycling
Not far from the famous Bellagio, the Caesars Palace is a real showstopper with its baroque style. To pay tribute to the prestige of the Roman emperor, nothing has been left to chance, whether it be pomp or generosity. Ranked as the world’s largest casino, Caesars Palace reduced its waste production by 49% in 2018 and its consumption by 10% compared to 2008, according to a study by Engie Impact.
Since 2010, the resort has recycled 2.3 million used soaps by distributing them worldwide through a partnership with Clean the World, earning them an environmental award. Caesars Entertainment even donates used furniture to local charities!
In Las Vegas, “nothing is lost, nothing is created: everything is transformed”! Thanks to renewable energy and their use of NV Energy, Las Vegas casinos can now roll out the green carpet, and they’re not doing it by halves!