From the November/December 2007 issue of E The Environment Magazine, Volume XVIII, Number 6, www.emagazine.com, page 12:
THE GREENING OF LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas is all about the "experience." In a city focused on spontaneous and gluttonous consumption, the trick is to keep the tourists entertained and the green innovation transparent, or the city will undermine its sole reason for being. But, with environmental concerns now looming large, even Las Vegas is looking to replace the Luxor beam with compact fluorescents.
"The bigger question is, do we even need a Luxor beam?" says Steve Rypka, president of GreenDream Enterprises, a Las Vegas green living consulting firm." Las Vegas has worldwide recognition. How wonderful it would be for the city to be seen as a leader in green."
From a building perspective, the multibillion-dollar Project City Center by MGM Mirage slated to open in 2009 has applied to become a LEED-certified development, the largest of its kind in the U.S.
"MGM Mirage has a commitment to sustainability but our sheer size requires examining the world of possibilities," said Gordon Absher, an MGM Mirage spokesperson. "The company overall is focused on three key areas for becoming greener: new resort construction, existing resort renovations and maintenance and general sustainable opportunities."
Taxis are a staple on the Strip, and Lucky Cab Company of Nevada introduced Toyota Prius hybrid taxis in 2005. Desiree Dante, vice president of Lucky Cab, says, "We're expecting that 20 per cent of our fleet will be Prius by the end of 2007. We save about $5,000 per vehicle annually with the hybrid cars." Other taxi companies in town are now testing hybrid vehicles in their fleets.
Las Vegas is also the first city in the West to put hydrogen-powered buses on the road to transport tourists from downtown to the Las Vegas Premium Outlets. Meanwhile, Nevada Solar One, a solar thermal installation in the desert outside Las Vegas, is producing 64 megawatts of power.
"We're stewards of the planet," says Rypka. "We now have a tremendous opportunity to use our intelligence to make a difference. There's currently no green solution for long-distance rapid transportation like air travel, yet Las Vegas is dependent upon tourism. We need to be more creative, to bring people in and lessen the environmental impact."
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau slogan is "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas." But, when it comes to green living, everybody is affected.
CONTACTS: Green Dream Enterprises (702) 285-6845, www.green-dream.biz; Project CityCenter,(866) 722-7171,www.citycenter.com.
-Cindi R. Maciolek
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Green Living
From the Wednesday, December 26, 2007, Canada section of the Toronto Star, page A36, an article about climate change and the need for environment friendly lifestyles:
IS NEW SOCIAL CLIMATE NEEDED FOR GREEN LIVING?
Eco-crusade gaining momentum, but rules, infrastructure lacking
Gregory Bonnell
The Canadian Press
It was the year of living environmentally, or at least being implored to go clean and green as politicians of all stripes took up the global-warming cause in the wake of Al Gore's climate-change crusade.
Amid messages of new technologies and altering lifestyles, Canadians looking to make a change in 2008 should take heart that it doesn't all have to be sacrifice.
Experts say an environmentally friendly lifestyle can mean not only lower household bills but also improved mental and physical health when forgoing the automobile.
Still, just how many people are willing to move beyond lip service is a pressing question.
"You have polls where people say, 'Yes, we're willing to pay more to be green.' I think this is a premise that has yet to be fully tested," said Clifford Maynes, executive director of Green Communities Canada.
Buying organic food, installing high-efficiency furnaces or going hybrid for the next vehicle purchase are all options that mean spending more than one would if they stuck with the status quo.
Ali Squire, 63, said she tries to live as green as possible, which has meant buying more expensive organic foods - something that wasn't always an option when her children were still at home.
Squire, who lives on her own in Advocate Harbour, N.S., buys organic, grows her own vegetables, reuses and recycles.
"Between myself and sharing other people's gardens ... in the summer, very much so, you really notice the different in the grocery bill," said Squire.
When recycling came to her tiny community several years ago, Squire said her efforts were buoyed. But the lack of public transportation in the area means she needs a car to get to work, which she says she feels guilty about.
The goal, said Chris Winter of the Conservation Council of Ontario, "is not to become perfect, just to become better."
The Toronto resident is launching a website, www.weconserve.ca, that asks Canadians to assess how green they're living and set a green resolution for 2008.
Winter, a married father of two young children who doesn't own a car, said nothing about his lifestyle leaves him wanting.
In the political realm, climate change went from a non-existent issue in the 2006 federal election campaign to seemingly the most pressing matter on Parliament Hill.
The Conservative government's performance, including its call for a 20 per cent emissions reduction by 2020, has not impressed activists.
"We also need Canadians to be taking the steps in their own lives that they possibly can," said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. "It's not easy when all the signals are going in the wrong direction."
It's a point well taken by the environment movement - even if public will exists, fiscal and social infrastructure is sorely lacking.
"The whole ability to adopt a conserver lifestyle depends on having that support structure there," said Winter. "In Toronto, we have it in spades now and it's beginning to spread."
IS NEW SOCIAL CLIMATE NEEDED FOR GREEN LIVING?
Eco-crusade gaining momentum, but rules, infrastructure lacking
Gregory Bonnell
The Canadian Press
It was the year of living environmentally, or at least being implored to go clean and green as politicians of all stripes took up the global-warming cause in the wake of Al Gore's climate-change crusade.
Amid messages of new technologies and altering lifestyles, Canadians looking to make a change in 2008 should take heart that it doesn't all have to be sacrifice.
Experts say an environmentally friendly lifestyle can mean not only lower household bills but also improved mental and physical health when forgoing the automobile.
Still, just how many people are willing to move beyond lip service is a pressing question.
"You have polls where people say, 'Yes, we're willing to pay more to be green.' I think this is a premise that has yet to be fully tested," said Clifford Maynes, executive director of Green Communities Canada.
Buying organic food, installing high-efficiency furnaces or going hybrid for the next vehicle purchase are all options that mean spending more than one would if they stuck with the status quo.
Ali Squire, 63, said she tries to live as green as possible, which has meant buying more expensive organic foods - something that wasn't always an option when her children were still at home.
Squire, who lives on her own in Advocate Harbour, N.S., buys organic, grows her own vegetables, reuses and recycles.
"Between myself and sharing other people's gardens ... in the summer, very much so, you really notice the different in the grocery bill," said Squire.
When recycling came to her tiny community several years ago, Squire said her efforts were buoyed. But the lack of public transportation in the area means she needs a car to get to work, which she says she feels guilty about.
The goal, said Chris Winter of the Conservation Council of Ontario, "is not to become perfect, just to become better."
The Toronto resident is launching a website, www.weconserve.ca, that asks Canadians to assess how green they're living and set a green resolution for 2008.
Winter, a married father of two young children who doesn't own a car, said nothing about his lifestyle leaves him wanting.
In the political realm, climate change went from a non-existent issue in the 2006 federal election campaign to seemingly the most pressing matter on Parliament Hill.
The Conservative government's performance, including its call for a 20 per cent emissions reduction by 2020, has not impressed activists.
"We also need Canadians to be taking the steps in their own lives that they possibly can," said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. "It's not easy when all the signals are going in the wrong direction."
It's a point well taken by the environment movement - even if public will exists, fiscal and social infrastructure is sorely lacking.
"The whole ability to adopt a conserver lifestyle depends on having that support structure there," said Winter. "In Toronto, we have it in spades now and it's beginning to spread."
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