CSR Minute: Las Vegas Chooses Renewable Energy

A short list of US cities rely on renewable energy: Aspen, Burlington, and Greensburg, KS. Now an unexpected name can be added to this select group: Las Vegas. The city reports that all municipal buildings and facilities will be powered by renewable energy.

This green sourcing, set up in partnership with NV Energy, is projected to save the city $5 million annually in operating costs. The shift does not include the highly electrified “Strip,” much which lies outside the city limits, or private businesses. But three of Nevada’s largest casino companies — MGM Resorts, Wynn, and Las Vegas Sands — have announced plans to adopt more renewable energy, a move driven by increasing demand for responsible energy use from companies that rent their conference halls, and a surplus of cheap power from solar farms in Nevada and California.

Says Cindy Ortega, chief sustainability officer at MGM Resorts: “It’s no accident that we put a solar array on top of a conference center. This is good business.” I’m John Howell for 3BL Media.