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Harrah's Entertainment has incorporated environmental sustainability into all of its properties and activities, integrating a fundamental commitment to the environment into its everyday business operations. Aggregated as CodeGreen, the programs reflect the company's Code of Commitment – the standards that govern the company's relationships with guests, employees and local communities. As the Harrah's Code of Commitment clearly states, "We recognize the importance of being responsible stewards of the environment, and we're committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation." -
Recognitions and Awards: Harrah's is the only gaming company to win an Environmental Quality Award, the highest level of public recognition from the EPA. Harrah's has also received PRNews, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, and Global Green 100 Awards for its sustainability accomplishments, leadership, and innovative practices. Each of our eight Las Vegas resorts received Travelife Sustainability accreditation from an independent auditor and received multiple gold level awards – Harrah's is the only Strip operator to be accredited. During the time we were a publicly traded company, we stood for six years as the only US gaming or hospitality company on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, a select group of the world's largest companies that is based on corporate citizenship, corporate governance, environmental policy, talent attraction and labor practices. -
EPA Partnerships: In February 2008, Harrah's became the first casino company to partner with the EPA and other leading firms committed to targeted, measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as part of EPA's Climate Leaders. In September 2009, we extended our leadership commitment by joining the EPA Waste Wise program as the first national gaming company partner. -
Engaging Employees: At the core of CodeGreen is the engagement of Harrah's 80,000 team members. Led by employee-driven CodeGreen Teams, we are embarked on an ambitious 18-month calendar of grassroots environmental initiatives that is developing employee-led programs around a comprehensive approach to dramatically reduce energy consumption, improve solid waste and recycling programs through good procurement practices, create a more sustainable supply chain, increase renewable energy supply, reduce carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, and build strong partnerships with the EPA, carbon offset supplier Native Energy, and key nonprofit groups. -
Team Earth Founding Partner: After reviewing our environmental sustainability strategy, Conservation International invited Harrah's to become a founding partner of Team Earth. This select group consists of the world's leading corporations which seek to affect climate change issues through education, engagement, and collective corporate action on critical global environmental issues including forest preservation and energy conservation. Annual Resources Saved
Harrah's Entertainment has invested over $60 million on energy conservation projects alone over the last six years. The annual resource savings total $19 million, and averted emissions of over 234 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year (106,000 Metric Tons CO2). The avoided carbon dioxide is equivalent to: - 12 million Passenger car miles not driven; or
- 122,000 Roundtrip Flights from Los Angeles to New York not taken; or
- 88,000 Extra Acres of Pine or Fir Forests Storing Carbon for One Year; or
- 247,000 Barrels of Oil not consumed.
Sustainable Success Stories
More than 100 major conservation projects at individual Harrah's properties, including demonstration programs to: - Install energy efficient indoor and outdoor lighting, and reduce lighting usage;
- Improve efficiency and effectiveness of air-handling systems;
- Retrofit equipment with energy-efficient upgrades;
- Reduce water consumption in laundry facilities;
- Upgrade guestroom thermostats;
- Replace technological controls with advanced energy-saving sensors;
- Install low-flow water controls and fixtures in guest areas;
- Incorporate comprehensive recycling programs; and
- Train employees on environment-friendly practices.
Co-generation: A five megawatt co-generation facility was installed at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, generating and using electricity on-site and recapturing waste heat for hot water requirements. The combined heat and power facility reduces energy losses through transmission and markedly improves on-site energy efficiency. The facility is rated one of the cleanest burning natural gas co-generators in the country. Harvey's Lake Tahoe is also home to a co-generation project where waste heat from four 125-kilowatt generators is captured and used to heat domestic water. On the east coast, Showboat Atlantic City installed a 350 kilowatt steam turbine-generator that captures energy once lost on their high-pressure steam system. This energy is converted to electricity and used at the property.
Corporate energy savings: Energy conservation efforts at the corporate level alone have reduced electricity consumption by over 163 million kilowatt-hours per year - enough to power over 15,000 average homes and a population of nearly 40,000. This is equivalent to reducing natural gas consumption by over 3.3 million therms per year.
EPA Climate Leaders: As the only gaming company that is a member of EPA's Climate Leaders program, Harrah's is conducting a company-wide inventory of greenhouse gas emissions that will be used as a baseline against which future reductions can be tracked. Harrah's is also developing a greenhouse gas reduction strategy and determining which programs can be ramped up to most effectively provide significant environmental conservation and sustainability benefits.
EPA Waste Wise National Corporate Partner: Much like our commitment to the EPA Climate Leaders, Harrah's is committed to changing the way we think about waste. Our combined Las Vegas properties alone recycle 371 tons of materials each year. In 2008 and 2009, we conducted a company-wide survey to create a baseline and to analyze environmentally positive changes to our current waste/recycling ratio. Already, nearly all our properties recycle their waste vegetable oil – which is then converted by outside companies to a clean burning bio- fuel or used as WVO fuel.
Unique Partnerships: Carbon offsets are an increasingly utilized, easily accessible and economical approach to address pollution and climate change. That's why Harrah's partnered with Native Energy to turn its World Series of Poker Tournament into the worlds first carbon neutral poker tournament. We also offer guests the option of purchasing carbon offsets through NativeEnergy. Harrah's guests can visit: http://www.nativeenergy.com/harrahs.
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