Putting WaterSense® to Work Global Entertainment Company Gets Wise About Water Sector: Hospitality; Focus: Water Monitoring and Management Project Summary As the world's most geographically diverse casino company, Caesars Entertainment has 39 properties in the United States alone, which contain more than 57 million square feet of air-conditioned space. To keep environmental sustainability efforts at the forefront of its properties and operations, Caesars developed the CodeGreen strategy, to reduce overall resource usage and take aggressive measures to preserve the environment. This multi-year, organization- wide strategy is focused on water conservation and reduction, energy use and waste management programs, and helping the entertainment gaming giant significantly reduce its water use across the globe. CodeGreen sets goals in different areas, such as facilities, hotel operations, and food and beverage. Caesars' water programs are designed to reduce water use, and the company emphasizes measuring, monitoring, and continuously improving how much water is used. With 2008 as a baseline, the CodeGreen program set intensity- based reduction goals for water use of 10 percent by 2015 and 15 percent by 2020 for the domestic portfolio of properties. Through 2013, Caesars has reduced water use intensity by 18 percent since 2008 levels, while increasing its physical footprint by 11 percent. As a multi-faceted program with a variety of components, CodeGreen engages its employees and helps to standardize best management practices among its properties. Program components contributing to the success of the company's water conservation initiatives include the CodeGreen Scorecard, the Code Rewards program, and CodeGreen at Home. Caesars has reduced its water use and operating costs by assessing and tracking water use, communicating goals and progress, encouraging friendly competition, and implementing water efficiency improvements. Projects include towel and linen reuse programs, xeriscaping, installing tunnel washers, and replacing existing fixtures w Assessing and Tracking to Report Success After establishing a 2008 water use baseline, Caesars used a data management plan to better assess and track water use reduction efforts. By transitioning utility bill payments to a third-party service, Caesars was abie to track billing determinants, such as consumption, costs, unit rates, and other factors in an online database accessible to all staff. Under the CodeGreen program, Caesars tracks and communicates successes through monthly and quarterly reports distributed to employees, implementing a tracking system and making water use data readily available allowed Caesars to demonstrate its progress and further encourage the adoption of water-efficient look for Case Study Highlights • Hotel: Caesars Entertainment • Location: 39 properties in the United States • Property size: 57.3 million square feet • Number of occupants: More than 67,000 employees and 75 million guests per year • Water savings: Reduced water use intensity by 18 percent between 2008 and 2013, saving 430 million gallons of water • Cost savings: Approximately $1.5 million in water costs (sewer costs excluded) WaterSense labeled modeis. PHONE (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) WEBSITE www.epa.gov/watersenseEMAlLwatersense@epa.gov A rn/V EPA-830-F-14-002-C WtlVA July 2014 ------- behaviors. The water tracking program was met with strong employee interest and top-down support, setting the company on track to achieve its goals. To keep the water savings coming, a reporting and communication system was initiated. Caesars consolidates data from utility bills and communicates insights to employees in charge of everyday water use. Trends are identified from monthly reports on costs and consumption, and a quarterly CodeGreen Scorecard ranks Caesars properties based on water and energy efficiency performance and other criteria. Properties now engage in friendly competition, while sharing best management practices and encouraging future improvements. Engaging Employees Spurs the Savings CodeGreen began in 2008 as an employee-driven initiative, and it continues to grow through employee participation and interest. Each property has a CodeGreen team made up of employees from different departments and job functions, such as facilities, food service, and housekeeping, who take ownership over environmental initiatives at Caesars. This program offers leadership roles for employees, who have the opportunity to become a CodeGreen Ambassador to lead and implement a portion of the enterprise-wide strategy each month, in areas including utilities, employee and guest engagement. Adding incentive to employee engagement, the Caesars Code Rewards program offers rewards to employees who complete sustainability projects, which allow them to earn Total Return Credits and compete against their colleagues across the country. The Caesars Code Rewards program encourages information sharing so that participants can learn how to approach practical water and energy saving measures. It also offers the chance to win prizes, such as an overnight trip to a Caesars property. In addition, Caesars launched CodeGreen at Home, which rewards employees for sustainability initiatives implemented at home, including water conservation, waste reduction, and energy conservation projects. As of 2013, employees have received more than $60,000 in rewards for their participation in CodeGreen at Home. Best Practices Save Inside and Out As part of CodeGreen, Caesars has implemented ongoing, portfolio-wide water efficiency initiatives through a variety of projects across its properties: • Implementing a guest room towel and linen reuse program promoted through educational signs placed in guest rooms. Guests prove time and again that they want to make a difference and opt to reuse their sheets and towels so that they need to be laundered less often. Recognizing the importance of employee engagement, CodeGreen educates housekeeping staff about the program. • Replacing standard washers with tunnel washers in Caesars' Las Vegas, Nevada, laundry facility saved 30 million gallons a year while expanding capacity by 40 percent, allowing the facility to process larger volumes of linens with reduced water use. • Installing high-efficiency, WaterSense labeled showerheads and faucet aerators. With corporate funding, Caesars replaced more than 10,000 showerheads throughout a selection of its U.S. properties, while some properties independently replaced an additional 6,000 showerheads. Showerheads went from using 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) to 1.8 gpm, saving 50 million gallons of water and 18,000 million British thermal units (MMBtu) of natural gas annually in properties nationwide. Caesars Entertainment implemented a guestroom towel and linen reuse program throughout its properties. ¦KP b W J Si EPA ------- • Bringing water savings outdoors by xeriscaping and replacing vegetation with desert landscaping. At Caesars' Nevada golf courses, water savings goes a step further with reclaimed water used for irrigation purposes.1 • Measuring water from one of its highest water end users—cooling towers—by installing submeters. These allow Caesars to evaluate water use trends and quickly identify leaks or other malfunctions. • Allowing individual properties to start their own water conservation initiatives, unique to their location's needs. For example, the Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino Las Vegas installed dual-flush toilets in some of its larger public-use restrooms to capitalize on the savings that can be achieved from a large user throughput. • Aggressively tackling energy use through efficiency improvements and conservation measures that not only lower energy requirements, but also reduce the amount of water needed for HVAC systems in large properties. Measures include installing LED lights in tens of thousands of sockets, deploying over 12,000 digital thermostats with integrated occupancy sensors in guestrooms, and designing for efficiency in new LEED-certified projects. Acknowledgements EPA's WaterSense program acknowledges Caesars Entertainment Corporate Manager of Utilities & Engineering Rob Morris for providing information for this case study. Learn More To learn more about water efficiency in commercial and institutional buildings, visit the WaterSense website at www.epa.gov/watersense/commercial to access WaterSense at Work best management practices, tools, case studies, and more. 1 Caesars Entertainment. 2012 CSR and Sustainability Report, www.caesars.com/images/PDFs/CE-CSR%20LargeRprt-FINAL-05.pdf. ------- |