Case Study: Tribal Casino P2 CHUMASH CASINO AND RESORT, SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA \ ! PRO"^° EPA Region 9 completed a pollution prevention (P2) evaluation of Chumash Casino Resort (Chumash) to identify projects for reducing the property's environmental footprint. EPA visited the facility in 2008 and identified several potential P2 projects as well as noted many measures Chumash had already implemented. Since the visit, Chumash has continued and broadened its efforts at greening operations and continues to receive accolades including the Santa Barbara County Green Award Program (2007), EPA Region 9's Environmental Achievement Award Program (2009), and the California Integrated Waste Management Board's Waste Reduction Award (2009). This case study summarizes all of those initiatives and provides quantitative and qualitative outcomes. The Chumash Casino Resort located in Santa Ynez, California includes an 180,000-square foot casino, 106- room hotel with a day spa, and two parking structures. Energy Use Building The entire exterior of the casino and hotel were constructed with double Envelope insulation to maintain internal building temperatures, an especially important feature during the summer months when external temperatures reach 90 to 100 °F. Chumash used Dryvit Outsulation to provide a second layer of insulation on the walls and includes a coat of stucco alternative that protects against mold. A white, fire resistant synthetic rubber liner reflects sunlight and heat in addition to providing a second layer of insulation on the roof. HVAC Chumash's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system inside the casino and hotel features extensive energy efficiency measures. Energy Star and energy efficient appliances are used throughout the facility. Variable speed drives (VSDs) have been added to most of the mechanical systems including water pumps, boilers, condenser fans, air ventilation, and reverse osmosis water filters that allow operators to adjust motor speeds and reduce each system's energy demand. The HVAC system includes an economizer that reduces energy demand by utilizing outside air to control indoor air temperatures. Since all aspects of the HVAC system are interrelated, automated whole building controls and software link, monitor, and adjust each HVAC component from a centralized location. These controls are integral for optimizing whole-system performance and minimizing HVAC energy consumption. Payback: Chumash estimates electricity costs savings related to the HVAC system have resulted in an investment payback of approximately 1.8 years. ------- Case Study: Tribal Casino P2 KONOCTI VISTA CASINO AND RESORT, LAKEPORT, CALIFORNIA, (cont.) Lighting Lighting has been a major focus at Chumash, with retrofits and changes made over the course of several years as new technologies and products emerge. The Facilities Department has replaced all incandescent bulbs with CFLs, and used LEDs in applications such as decorative lights and slot machines. LEDs are now even more cost-effective and Chumash plans for their use in a wider range of applications. As a result, the Facilities Department is upgrading the interior lights, exterior lights, and street lights with LED fixtures and bulbs. To further reduce lighting energy loads, occupancy sensors are installed in offices and employee restrooms to automatically shut-off lights when unoccupied. Payback: Chumash estimates electricity costs savings of approximately $46,000 per year. Water Use Bathrooms/ Laundry Hotel bathrooms contain low flow showerheads and low flow toilets have been installed throughout both the casino and hotel at Chumash. Energy Star and energy efficient appliances are used throughout the casino resort facilities. Storm Water Filter media inserts (Flogard) are installed in all the storm water inlets around the casino and resort facilities to remove hydrocarbons, sediment, and debris from road and parking lot runoff that would otherwise drain into the nearby Zanja de Cota Creek. Storm water runoff from the parking structures is collected and diverted to the Chumash waste water treatment plant (WWTP). Wastewater Reuse The Chumash WWTP is a tertiary treatment facility serving the casino, hotel, and other buildings on the reservation. "Grey water" from the WWTP is sent back to the casino and hotel for use in toilets and drip-irrigation. The facilities are landscaped with native, drought tolerant plants that use minimal irrigation. page 2 # Q \ ------- Case Study: Tribal Casino P2 KONOCTI VISTA CASINO AND RESORT, LAKEPORT, CALIFORNIA, (cont.) Solid Waste The Churnash facilities managers have implemented a tremendously successful waste management program. Currently 49% of all waste is being reused or recycled and in 2008 the program diverted 1,383,105 pounds of trash from the Tajiguas Landfill. The solid waste program includes on-site source separation of pre-consumer wastes into colored bags by facilities staff and off-site, hand separation of comingled post-consumer wastes by a local trash contractor. "tCICLEMl Kitchen and Food Pre-consumer food scraps are sent by the waste management contractor to either a piggery or compost facility. Facilities personnel collect approximately 100 gallons of pre-consumer fats, oil, and grease (FOG) weekly for sale to a local biodiesel company for about $120 per month. A pilot project is underway to directly use the vegetable waste oils to fuel Chumash community and fleet vehicles. Chumash no longer uses disposable dishware and silverware. At the Willows, a fine dining restaurant in the casino, the Chumash now use a Natura water filtration system to filter and bottle the water onsite eliminating the cost and impacts of purchasing over 100 cases of bottled drinking water per month. Furnishings and Chumash recycles uniforms materials and donates furniture to tribal Carpet community members, local charities, and businesses. Switching to in-house furniture upholstering allows reuse of most casino chairs, minimizing chair replacement costs and reducing waste. Chumash installed sectional carpet tiles with recycled content on the casino floor to minimize carpet purchase and disposal. Replaced sections are either re-used or recycled by a local trash contractor. page 3 # Q \ ------- Case Study: Tribal Casino P2 KONOCTI VISTA CASINO AND RESORT, LAKE PORT, CALIFORNIA, (cont.) Bathrooms Paper towel dispensers are being systematically replaced with Dyson Air Blade hand dryers which, when fully implemented will save $109,000 annually (for a 0.45 year payback) by reducing paper towel replacement, maintenance, and cleaning costs. Office Chumash administrative offices purchase environmentally preferable office supplies wherever feasible and use paperless records and double-sided printing and require suppliers to retrieve and reuse packaging and pallets. Transportation Chumash operates a fleet of over 15 vehicles to serve the Chumash Casino Resort consisting mainly of buses, shuttles, and vans. A biodiesel blend of up to 5% is often used in many of these vehicles, depending on the cost of regular diesel. Free shuttle buses rides are offered to customers and employees from Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Solvang, and Buellton, further reducing the transportation impacts of the Chumash Casino Resort throughout Santa Barbara County. Results: In 2009, 66,000 bus trips were made eliminating over 700,000 car trips. Green Cleaning The objectives of Chumash is green cleaning strategy are to use a minimal amount of the least harmful chemicals necessary to effectively perform a cleaning job. Cleaning Products and Procedures Many of the cleaners Chumash uses are Green Seal certified including Tenacity, an all-purpose cleaner by Buckeye. Cleaners are purchased in bulk and in high concentrations to minimize packaging, shipping, and disposal. Automated cleaning chemical dispensers such as Smart Box are used to avoid chemical overuse. Facilities managers regularly review the amount, frequency, and effectiveness of cleaning chemical use and make adjustments as needed. Custodians use microfiber mops that require less cleaning solution instead of conventional loop mops, and also use the Rubbermaid Wavebreak, a bucket that separates clean and dirty water to prevent surface recontamination. ------- Case Study: Tribal Casino P2 KONOCTI VISTA CASINO AND RESORT, LAKEPORT, CALIFORNIA, (cont.) Equipment Casino Floor: On the casino floors, staff uses battery powered sweepers, hard surface cleaners, and carpet vacuum machines. These machines require considerably less time and energy than traditional methods. Previously, using standard upright vacuums for the carpets it took 8 people 2 hours to clean the whole casino. Now, with a single battery-powered machine, it takes 1 person 2 hours to clean the same area. Escalators: Personnel now use a Rotomac 330 instead of cleaning escalators by hand. Before, staff members needed to wear respirators while scrubbing escalator surfaces using harsh chemicals to remove dirt and grease. Now an automated machine is attached to the escalator that reduces labor and eliminates the need for harsh chemical or respirators. Poker Chips: Cleaning and replacing chips can be a costly for casinos. A typical chip cleaning machine can cost $6,000 to $60,000 depending on security requirements and previously required six staff members about 1 week to clean the majority of the chips. Chumash has developed an innovative method to clean and extend the life of poker chips. To reduce the labor, time, and costs Chumash switched from a standard chip-cleaning machine to a $1,100 GE Profile washing machine without an agitator. Now 2 staff members can clean the majority of the casino's chips in 24 hours. Instead of a typical cleaning solution the chips are soaked and washed in a solution designed by the Chumash Facilities Manager, Mark Funkhouser, consisting of an all-purpose cleaner, degreaser, and Teflon sealer. The cleaner and degreaser effectively remove all dirt and grime, and the Teflon coating has more than doubled the standard life of Chumash Casino chips, which can now last over 6 years. IjR \ ^ . Mm page 5 # Q \ ------- |