What happens in Vegas…Is Going Green!

Ok, so Las Vegas may not be the most sustainable city in the world. Sure their glittery lights are always on, the city itself is in a desert miles from water and you pretty much have to take a long road trip or flight to get to it. But be that as it may, Las Vegas is trying to green up its image (and doing a pretty good job too).

The Sands Las Vegas Resort Corporation just released their Sands Eco360 plan which is a formalization of all of Las Vegas Sands Corp’s best practices, technologies and methodologies in the area of sustainability across all properties rolled into one, integrated program, with a shared vision, mission and goals. Two of the Sands Las Vegas resorts, The Venetian and Sands Expo and Convention Center have received LEED Gold Certification as existing buildings, while their Sands Palazzo Hotel-Resort-Casino received a Silver Certification for new construction. The Palazzo Resort used more than 95% recycled steel content and 26% recycled concrete.

Some of the green elements being used include:

• A roof-mounted solar thermal system that provides hot water for swimming pools, spas and a portion of domestic hot water.
• Solar photovoltaic panels atop a parking garage that generate 116 kW of electricity.
• A building automation system that monitors and optimizes heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting levels.
• Lighting that's controllable by a master switch in each of the guest suites. High-efficiency lighting throughout the facilities.
• The recycling of 55 percent of solid waste including glass, plastic, aluminum, cardboard and paper.
• A partnership with a local pig farm that uses 75 percent of food waste for composting or animal feed.
• Green purchasing, green office, green cleaning and green laundry practices. In addition to an eco-linen program for guests, the company works with a laundry service provider that uses equipment and processes that cut water use by 72 percent, compared to standard operations.
• Reuse or recycling of more than 75 percent of construction waste from renovation projects.

The newest large development on the strip, the CityCenter Complex contains 6 LEED Certified Gold Buildings, including the ARIA Resort, which has the honors of being the worlds largest LEED Certified Building. There are about 100 registered LEED projects in Las Vegas so far, not including those projects added in 2009.

While the city has a long way to go, every little bit helps and these are large steps in the right direction.