Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Strip resorts to go dark for an hour to mark pro-environment event

Earth Hour

Justin M. Bowen

The Strip, seen here from Mix at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, is cloaked in unusual darkness Saturday, March 27, 2010, in observance of Earth Hour.

Earth Hour

The lights on the Launch slideshow »

More than half a dozen resorts will knock out their lights for an hour Saturday night in support of an effort to raise awareness for the environment and energy conservation.

Casinos such as the Flamingo, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Rio and Bally's will participate in the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for the fifth year in a row by turning out all of their non-essential lighting and marquees.

The worldwide event included nearly 7,000 cities and towns across 152 countries and territories last year, according to the organization's website.

Caesars Entertainment will be acting on similar measures at many of their 50 properties, including at locations in Atlantic City, New Orleans and Ohio.

The company has spent $70 million on energy-efficient initiatives through its CodeGreen project and has seen saving $30 million annually.

"We truly believe in being good environmental partners," said  Christina Karas, a Caesars spokeswoman. "We really look at different ways to reduce water consumption and reduce energy consumption."

The casinos also have a program that collects unused hotel room amenities like soap and shampoo and distributes them to developing countries.

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