MGM Resorts Joins World Observance of Earth Hour 2015
Exterior lighting at Nevada and Mississippi resorts will dim in a global recognition of climate change
Las Vegas, March 23, 2015 /3BL Media/ – In honor of Earth Hour, MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) will dim the exterior lights at several of its resorts, joining the global effort to raise awareness of climate change.
Exterior lighting, rooftop signage, marquees and front features at the company’s major Las Vegas resorts, Circus Circus Reno, Gold Strike Tunica, and Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Miss., will be turned off on March 28 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.. These iconic resorts will be joined by some world-famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, Brandenburg Castle and The Acropolis of Athens. The event is one that companies, cities and conservationists use to demonstrate the need and commitment to save the planet.
“For MGM Resorts, Earth Hour is a one-hour observance of a year-round commitment,” said Cindy Ortega, MGM Resorts Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer. “Our resorts unite in the same mission, to build a vibrant future that is mindful of our planet’s limited resources.”
Earth Hour was started by World Wildlife Fund in 2007 in Sydney, Australia with more than two million participants. Now the celebration engages more than 162 countries and territories and millions of people around the world.
MGM Resorts has saved more than 213 million kilowatt hours of energy in the past five years at its resorts, the equivalent to 18,000 homes annually or 131,000 metrics tons of CO2E.
In 2014, MGM Resorts joined the U.S. Energy Department’s Better Buildings Challenge, a national pledge calling for organizations to voluntarily reduce their building portfolio energy use by 20 percent, by 2020.
Additionally, in 2014 a 6.4MW solar photovoltaic (PV) array was commissioned on the rooftop of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and MGM Resorts recently announced the expansion of its Convention Center at Mandalay Bay, which will include an additional 2MW of solar PV, making the resort home to the country’s third largest rooftop array. The combined arrays will generate enough electricity to supply 26 percent of the resort’s electricity during peak production.
For more information about MGM Resorts International’s commitment to sustainability, please visit: www.mgmresorts.com/csr.
About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. The Company is in the process of developing MGM National Harbor in Maryland and MGM Springfield in Massachusetts. The Company also owns 51 percent of MGM China Holdings Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino and developing a gaming resort in Cotai, and 50 percent of CityCenter in Las Vegas, which features Aria resort and casino. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.
About EARTH HOUR
EARTH HOUR is organized by the World Wildlife Fund: http://www.earthhour.org/join-the-hour
SOURCE MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL