Going green a sure bet for Canadian casinos

Some bet on black and some bet on red, but one proposed casino in Maple Ridge B.C. is going all-in on green.

Featuring a sloped green roof that will naturally cool the building, low flush toilets and faucets as well as energy conserving heating and air conditioning systems, the new 30,000-square-foot casino is slated to cost, pending city approval, a cool $24-million.

The stakes are pretty high, given how much energy casinos use. For example, it might make you turn a paler shade of green if you consider the amount of energy consumed in gambling meccas like Las Vegas. With an estimated 197,144 slot machines, and streets aglow with myriad displays of lights, it’s no wonder that city is producing 160 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Businesses there, though, are starting to place their bets on improving the city’s environmental situation. The Palazzo Las Vegas Resort Hotel Casino, for example, recently won Silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The multi-billion dollar resort was named the world’s largest LEED-certified building – essentially four times larger than any other “green” project in the world.

These steps work on a smaller scale too, though. Take Michigan’s Turtle Creek Casino for example. The newly rebuilt facility is owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians who figured the slightly higher cost to go green (about 10 per cent) would pay off in the long run. So they outfitted it with energy efficient slot machines, roads and parking lots made from recycled materials, energy conserving light bulbs and their own well and sewage treatment system that purifies water before returning it to the water table.

With increased political and market pressure on businesses to stop gambling with the environment, it should come as no surprise to see B.C.’s Great Canadian Gaming Corp raising the ante in the effort to green the Canadian gaming industry.

And while a green Maple Ridge casino may seem like small stakes in comparison, community members and Canadians in general should be glad to know that it’s a step in the right direction and hopefully other Canadian casinos will start to follow suit.