Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/215016
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEILA NAVIDI/LAS VEGAS SUN I t's unlikely that many people make the approach into McCarran International Airport—over Vegas fountains blasting water 460 feet into the air, a 42-billion candlepower light beam visible from hundreds of miles away, and mile upon mile of neon—and think, "Now there's a model for sustainability." But just as the city strives to outdo itself in extravagance, it's also intent on greening its operations. And hotel and casino operators are approaching the task in characteristically Las Vegas fashion: by innovating in the biggest and best ways possible. Consider a recent move by MGM Resorts International, which has announced plans to install a 6.2-megawatt solar panel array covering 20 acres on the roof of its Mandalay Bay Convention Center. MGM says the project will be able to generate nearly 20 percent of the resort's electricity at peak production. Cindy Ortega, MGM's chief sustainability officer, says green projects are not only the right thing to do, but they also make business sense by saving money—and by appealing to important customers: "Twenty percent of our customers are corporations, and corporations that have a genuine VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 125 124-129_V_Feat_Energy_Dec13.indd 125 11/20/13 5:44 PM