LAST WORD 74
Going green Sharon Singleton
Managing Editor, AGB
While President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to close down Boracay to tourism for an environmental cleanup may have seemed draconian, it’s perhaps something that integrated resort operators around Asia should take note of.
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here’s no getting away from the fact that build, and opening of the 160-acre 20 MW Wynn large-scale tourism projects, even the best Solar Facility in the U.S. While MGM Resorts has its Green Advantage managed, can have a detrimental impact on the environment, putting pressure on plan, which has helped to reduce carbon emissions water resources and generating large amounts of by more than 60,000 metric tons of CO2e since 2010. This is the equivalent of taking more than 12,000 waste, much of it plastic. The rampant expansion of casino resorts in cars off the road for a year. In New Zealand and Australia, IR operators have Sihanoukville in Cambodia is already generating headlines for all the wrong reasons, with reports the also been proactive, with SkyCity Entertainment newly opened Jin Ding Hotel & Casino on a nearby announcing a green fund in February and plans to island is flushing raw sewage directly into the sea, become carbon neutral in its home country this year and Australia the next. polluting one of the area’s most scenic beaches. As operators vye for a coveted If operators don’t get serious casino license in Japan, a focus about stepping up their efforts on environmental protection to protect the environments and sustainability has also they are operating in there is Many of the featured as a key selling point a real danger that governments larger global for many of the bidders. will wade in with their own, players are already Melco Resorts & Enterpotentially costly, measures tainment, which is building to force companies to clean ahead of the curve, the biggest solar power array up the mess. recognising that in Macau, has said solar and Many of the larger global wind energ y will feature players are already ahead of green initiatives prominently if it’s successful the curve, recognising that can also be good in its bid for an IR in Osaka. green initiatives can also be According to the plans, the good for business. for business. walls of the IR will be glass-like Sands China in February solar energy panels upon which announced it was banning video images can be displayed. shark fin in all its restaurants in Macau as part of its parent company’s Sands Wind power facilities will also be included in the City of the Future design. ECO360 strategy. Caesars Entertainment also highlights its The plan is designed to promote responsible business operations in the areas of green buildings, environmental track record in its vision for Japan. environmentally responsible operations, green It is one of only 30 companies to achieve Triple-A meetings and events, and stakeholder engagement scores in three rankings by the international Carbon Disclosure Project. and outreach. Let’s hope that some of these major initiatives Wynn Resorts last year appointed Erik Hansen as its first chief sustainability officer. Hansen will be taken by global players begin to have a trickle down responsible for the development of the company’s global effect to some of the region’s other fast-developing sustainability strategy and energy procurement goals. markets. If not, we could see other governments take He has already been involved in helping Wynn with Duterte-style measures to ensure the sustainability several large-scale projects, such as the negotiation, of their tourism industries.
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Asia Gaming Briefings | March 2019
