Eco-friendly Casinos and the Community
Business, including casinos, have been quick to take heed of public concern over environmental matters. Read on to find out how eco-friendly casinos (and even the top international online casinos) are doing this, and the types of advantages they often provide to local communities.
How Online International Casinos are Also Working Towards Going Green
Many of the land-based casinos in this article are from the US and Canada, but it’s also worth noting there are some great international online casinos that are dedicated to providing a phenomenal experience while also helping players to eliminate their carbon footprint. You can read the top reviews of the best online casinos where you can experience the latest slots, as well as table games such as blackjack and roulette. You’ll also find sites with great welcome bonuses to make playing from home even more tempting.
For many Americans, online gambling sites are the ultimate expression of green casinos as they use far less energy. Whilst offering all the opportunities and games of real world establishments, online casinos also have a plethora of eco-friendly attributes inherent to their business model. The most obvious of these is the transport impact. Because the best international online casinos can be reached anywhere and no physical transport is necessary, this hugely reduces the impact on the environment as less carbon dioxide and noxious gasses is released into the atmosphere. Players keen on the live experience can even still enjoy that through the medium of live dealer style table games which have evolved to become highly interactive.
Methods of accessing these sites can also be made even more eco-friendly. Typically, desktops and smartphones are in regular use anyway, so no additional hardware purchase is necessary and no additional resources are consumed in their creation. Better yet, mobile phones can be recharged with solar energy to reduce the carbon footprint even more (and the rechargers are surprisingly inexpensive). The top online casino sites are also very conscious about using servers that are economical and which can be powered with renewable energy where possible.
However, whilst green casinos can be online they can also exist in the real world. Players who prefer brick-and-mortar establishments can be gratified that land-based sites can still be eco-friendly casinos by taking a variety of measures to minimize their impact on the environment. This is not only good for the planet, but can help to draw in visitors who enjoy betting and are also concerned about eco-friendly matters.
Land Casinos Going Green
The green agenda, whether that’s sustainable and renewable sources of energy or focusing on locally available building materials, has been rising in the public’s collective mind for some time now. Businesses have been correspondingly keen to adapt to this new reality, both in order to make the most of direct opportunities through developing new technology or to embark upon green initiatives in order to curry favor with existing and potential customers. This isn’t particularly surprising given that some now believe environmental impact might be considered as important as price for consumers; even for those who play at online casinos.
Think of a casino and green and the first thought to come up might be the baize surface of card tables. But there are plenty of reasons for land-based casinos to embrace green technology. Not only does it appeal to players, green technology can often save costs by reducing energy consumption, whether that’s through superior insulation or taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by microgeneration of electricity (such as solar panel technology).
Eliminating plastic straw use is one simple step that can significantly reduce landfill globally. MGM Resorts, Resorts World Sentosa, and Northern Lights Casino have embarked upon this sort of initiative, showing that there’s action being taken from Canada to Singapore. Food waste can also be cut down on by sending inedible items into compost, or donating excess edible food to those in need.
Locally sourced materials can also help reduce carbon emission by cutting down on transport costs. This can come in the form of building materials, as done by Parq Casino in Vancouver, or ingredients, an approach taken by many sites. This has happened with a number of Winnipeg casinos, bolstering the local economy and cutting down on noxious emissions into the bargain.
Windows are a surprisingly interesting area because there are two broad approaches that can be taken. The first is to focus on skylights to provide light directly, cutting down on lighting bills (and therefore fuel consumed), as per Turtle Creek Casino. An alternative approach is to make use of the specific location of an eco-friendly casino and try to place windows in such a way as to maximize heat retention in winter and minimize it in summer in order to reduce heating and air conditioning costs. Whilst we’re on windows and lighting, replacing traditional bulbs with LED lighting can save significantly on both bills and fuel consumption, as Niagara Fallsview Casino discovered when it saved $216,000 a year with this move. Montbleu Resort Casino and Spa has taken a similar step, whilst at the same time banning Styrofoam.
Probably the best green energy source is geothermal. Unfortunately, unlike solar, it’s also one that is not available in many places. But there’s one eco-friendly casino that has made use of it: Peppermill Resort Spa Casino. This unique establishment has its heating provided entirely by geothermal energy. Another promising area in renewable technology is research hinting to the possibility that solar panels might soon be able to function at night, substantially improving the scope for renewable energy as a source of electricity from doors opening to the close.
Green Revenue Supporting Communities
Green initiatives taken by casinos can also benefit communities in a number of ways. For example, Caesar’s Entertainment, since 2010, has stopped chucking out unused toiletries and instead has worked to send them to people who need them (in over 100 countries around the world). On a more local level, when green casinos set up recharging stations for electric vehicles this helps make them a more viable transport option for staff and visitors alike, enhancing the infrastructure necessary to make electric cars a plausible option in the real world.
The Lakeside Inn and Casino (Nevada) has worked to help protect the water sources of Tahoe, including by fundraising for local environmental causes and helping guests to minimize their own water use. This hotel gives guests a $5 dining certificate for every day that housekeeping is opted out of (thereby saving water), a measure that’s also been adopted by River Rock Casino in British Columbia.
While we’re on River Rock Casino, this establishment has managed to substantially reduce local landfill by cutting back on chopstick disposal and recycling them. That might sound like small potatoes, but the area adds 100,000 chopsticks in landfill every single day. This casino, however, has turned things on their head by recycling close to half a million of them into bespoke tables and tiles – think about that while you’re eating Chinese and playing at your top online US casino.
It’s not only with green action that casinos can help local communities. Using the proceeds from gambling games has enabled North Carolina’s Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to help fund projects in health, education and youth centers.
Not only can eco-friendly casinos benefit from green energy in both commercial and environmental ways, so too can ordinary homeowners take positive steps to minimize their impact on the planet whilst saving money at the same time. Solar panels, for example, provide effectively free energy after the cost of installation. Not only is this a carbon-free form of power, it can also be used to charge other devices, reducing energy consumption from the grid even more. Plus, you may be able to receive a grant for the installation and then save tens of thousands if you’re in the same home for years, or enjoy a great new selling point (and corresponding price rise) when selling. In addition, Americans can benefit from solar tax breaks which can be rather significant too.
