Casino Sept 08 P40-42 8/21/08 1:05 pm Page 42
EGM GREEN
gaming matters?
EH: Well my expertise is in
management and leadership,
and our manufacturing
specialist’s expertise is in
finding and sourcing products
to go into our end product that
meet or exceed the levels that
we’ve set for ourselves. We have
partnerships with the United
States Green Building Council,
with a company called
TerraPass, a carbon offsetting
company, so we do what we can
to reduce what we do and then
we offset the rest of it.
We work with LEED consultants and LEED project program to compensate for the shipping?
managers who will not only assist with your casino EH: We haven’t found a place that we won’t ship to
projects to help you get from where you are to where yet. To answer your second question, yes we
you need to be, but they also help us on a regular participate in an offsetting program. Corporately we
basis as well. They also aid in figuring out where it is offset power/carbon that we can’t reduce. We offset
that we need to be and to help us get there. This is using a company called TerraPass I mentioned earlier,
an ongoing initiative because as the nature of and when we sell product to an end user we offer the
environmentalism changes there will be new option of offsetting the trip to them and the trip from
initiatives that we’ll have to put in place to stay ahead where it was originally taken, and then we also give
of the curve, and that’s clearly our place; in front of them a certificate that they can display which
the curve. explains that we’ve planted one tree for each table
We use FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) they’ve purchased. You can reduce something and by
certified MDF, which is medium density fiberboard. planting trees we are actually providing for the
Our MDF has no added formaldehyde or, we use 100 future. That’s what we do for our customers and we
per cent pre-consumer post industrial use foam for think that they can use these two items, the tree
our cable padding as well as for the arm padding, and certificate, which is really a plaque they can hang up
we also use stainless steel, we’ll use leather if people and the TerraPass offset they can use these two as
ask us to as an upgrade to a table. As our tables stand truly powerful PR pieces when combined with their
at 200+ pounds, we’re about 98 per cent sustainable. other initiatives and when combined with the table
purchases.
CI: What other things have you looked at within
the casino? CI: What kind of feedback have you had from
EH: We’ve looked at, and actually been approached prospective customers so far?
about, making eco-friendly poker chips, and as you EH: There are really three groups we encounter;
know the regulations are more stringent on chips, so the first is, "we love it, we’re into green, bring it
we figured we’d get our feet wet first and then we’ll here". The second is "our bosses are into green,
move into new products. We've started to work with a where do we start? can you explain it to me?" and
company on producing eco-friendly playing cards. it’s more of building a relationship to try to help
them to understand why the bosses have chosen to
CI: Is there a significant difference in price move in the direction they’re going and how we
between your products and traditional… figure into the equation and can actually help them
EH: Our pricing is totally dependent on the specs meet some of the goals that are being set for them.
given to us by the casino/end user. We’re finding that The third is those people out there that think that
in some places when we talk price, our price is lower environmentalism is not an issue they need to worry
than what casinos had paid, and then we’re finding about. As long as they understand that it’s a
with other places that their past price is a little bit learning process, then we’ll be fine as a company
higher. A piece of MDF that we purchase compared to which means that we can help spread the word
a piece of plywood that we purchase is about five to more and casinos can help spread the word more.
six pounds more expensive and the price difference Casinos are one of the biggest consumer industries
that the end user or the casino is seeing is at most 30 in the United States; people go to casinos to
per cent higher than what they would have paid for a gamble, they go to casinos to eat, to shop, for spas,
regular table. We’re really trying to set that 30 per to hang out with friends, to get away, for vacations,
cent cap. a hundred reasons and if those people can start to
understand what green means and what it could
CI: Is there anywhere you don’t ship to? And do mean for them and their family then that’s kind of
you donate to some kind of carbon offsetting where it’s at.
42 SEPTEMBER 2008
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