Responsibility | Voices While alternative energy usage and water conservation were the foundation of MGM Resorts’ sustainability program, materials recycling was also a huge focus. All of us on the tour came away inspired by the effort and filled with concepts we can try to adapt and implement to improve our own operations. Not all of these will be attainable for you – or even applicable – but there’s at least a chance they’ll spark an idea that does make a positive impact. I just have to share these key insights from the tour: 1. Consider process and training adjustments. The tour revealed MGM Resorts replaced over 1.4 million light fixtures with energyefficient LED lighting. The resort also trains its room attendants to draw the curtains and turn the HVAC systems to 72 degrees when servicing guest rooms, which helps maintain room temperatures while using less energy. 2. Search for scalable options. Perhaps one of the largest impacts is made by MGM’s Mega Solar Array, which comprises 323,000 solar panels arranged on 640 acres in the desert north of Las Vegas. The Mandalay Bay Convention Center’s roof holds 26,000 solar panels on 26 acres, which it claims is the largest contiguous solar array in the United States. Collectively, MGM Resorts’ alternative energy program provides up to 90% of its daytime electricity needs across 13 properties in Las Vegas. While most buildings in our industry may not have 26 acres of roof space, solar panels and energy-efficient lightbulbs are scalable activities that can produce impactful results for industry companies looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprints. 3. Know that opportunities to reduce consumption are all around you. The resort has removed 200,000 square feet of natural grass on its properties and replaced it with landscaping alternatives more tolerant to the droughts that affect Las Vegas and other areas. Aside from switching out the grass, Mandalay Bay also replaced nonnative plant and tree species with native plants that do not need to consume as much water to survive in the Las Vegas environment. 4.Set goals. The resort previously created an initiative to reduce its collective water usage per square foot by 30%, which it reached in 2019. When you set specific sustainability goals, you can measure Let The World Be Your Oyster How MGM Creatively Contributes To Environmental Stewardship When MGM National Harbor in Maryland opened, the resort joined a local coalition whose goal is to replace 10 billion oysters in Chesapeake Bay by 2025. Overfishing and other mistreatment of the bay has led to water quality degradation and other adverse impacts on the ecosystem, including a severe decline in the oyster population that so many area businesses and international restaurants rely on. The practice of restoring the oyster population entails collecting shells at multiple resort properties, including Mandalay Bay, and having the shells treated before returning them to the Chesapeake. This goal has numerous benefits because oysters filter water and provide habitats during their procreation process. This initiative provides a sustainable source of new oysters that benefits the coastal waters and MGM locations, because each half-shell can support 10 new oysters. RYO Alexandre / Shutterstock.com John Roche / Shutterstock.com PPAI • APRIL 2023 • 35
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