In Las Vegas, “green” is most times associated with cha-ching.
Big Green Bus at Bally’s Las Vegas
Toss in a dozen Dartmouth students touring North America in a bright bus and the meaning changes: Green now means a lean, mean, sustainable machine.
The two universes – the bright lights of Las Vegas and the Ivy League — converged when the Big Green Bus glided into the parking lot at Bally’s Las Vegas to show off its environmentally friendly amenities and demonstrate to visitors and residents about the importance of sustainability.
Big Green Bus at Grand Biloxi
Earlier this month, the Caesars Entertainment-sponsored biodiesel green coach swung by Grand Biloxi in Mississippi to offer tutorials on practices that promote earth’s ecosystem during its 12,000-mile sweep across the continent. The farmer’s market-style event featured booths and demonstrations by local businesses including Ace Data Storage and its shredding truck, EDEE Systems’ solar-powered air conditioning unit and green products from Home Depot and Coast Electric Power Association.
Caesars Entertainment is in the forefront of the gaming industry’s environmentally responsible efforts, offering compost depositories for team members and recycling bins for guests and employees.
To passersby, the giant Big Green Bus might have appeared out of place on the sidewalk in front of Bally’s on the Las Vegas Strip, but it fit in perfectly with the Caesars Entertainment’s goal to do its part in contributing to a healthier planet.
Big Green will not likely encounter a more ideal climate than Southern Nevada as it traverses the country. Solar panels atop the coach transfer power to ten batteries, which convert the sun’s energy to electricity. Caesars Entertainment is well acquainted with the concept. In the past nine years, the company has invested more than $70 million on energy retrofits that allowed for more efficient energy and water conservation, according to Jonathan Jones, general manager of Grand Biloxi.
After departing Las Vegas, the Dartmouth students headed toward Southern California then planned to hit the Pacific Northwest. They will then cruise across the northern region of the United States and stop at Caesars Windsor in Ontario Canada on August 28. Those who operate the Big Green Bus credit Caesars Entertainment with the ability to discuss the ecosystem and improved practices across the nation.
“We saw this as very privileged,” Jordan Kastrinsky, a Green Bus participant, told The Dartmouth newspaper earlier this month. “We now tell our stories about how we got involved in sustainability and environmentalism, and they’ll share theirs. It allows you to inspire someone, and they can inspire you.”
