Green is all go at Montecasino as strategic greening initiatives reap benefits for the environment and bring in awards for the precinct.
Recent green awards for Montecasino include the Gold Heritage Award for being Environmentally Friendly awarded by the international Heritage Environmental Management Company through its Heritage Environmental Rating Programme, which is one of the top three environmental management programmes in the tourism industry worldwide and was developed using seven international environmental management systems and ISO 14000. One of the main aims of the programme is to provide operators of all types of businesses with an effective environmental management programme that is designed to reduce and limit the impact that their operations have on their environment.
The second honour was a Gold SALI (South African Landscaping Institute) Award for the garden maintenance in the Montecasino Bird Gardens.
The three hotels within the Montecasino precinct, The Palazzo Montecasino, SunSquare and Southern Sun Montecasino, have also joined the drive towards greater environmental friendliness and have all received Heritage Awards – with The Palazzo and SunSquare earning gold and Southern Sun, a silver award.
The Palazzo and SunSquare were awarded gold status following an audit of the environmental impact of the hotel’s operations, technology and systems, as well as its environmental practices. The hotels are striving to establish a sustainable environmental management practices in areas such as procurement, resource and waste management and extending environmental awareness and responsibility to staff, business partners and guests.
“These awards are a proud moment in our history as they endorse our commitment to protecting our environment for immediate benefit and for future business growth,” says Steve Howell, General Manager at Montecasino.
Montecasino has developed an Environmental Policy Statement that extends across all sectors of the business and its precinct and is circulated to its tenants and sub-contractors. The policy statement, which acknowledges the impact the precinct has on the environment, now forms part of the tenant agreement. It is also displayed in supplier delivery and staffing areas to build awareness and encourage buy-in across all levels of business.
Essentially, the statement commits Montecasino to minimise its impacts on the environment by preventing pollution, reducing waste and ensuring wherever practical measures are implemented to protect and preserve natural habitats, flora and fauna; considering the effect its operations may have on the local community; taking action to eliminate or reduce as far as practicable any potentially adverse environmental impacts; promoting environmental awareness among its suppliers, contractors and partners by implementing operational procedures; seeking to work in partnership with the community by behaving in a confederate and socially responsible manner; and ensuring effective and expedient incident control, investigation and reporting.
At this stage, initiatives that are contributing to Montecasino’s environmentally friendly status include extensive water saving projects. “The 38-hectare grounds, which include the gardens, are irrigated with borehole water and rain water captured via a storm water system that flows into our onsite dam,” explains Howell. Added to this, rain sensors have been installed at all irrigation boxes that automatically shut off the irrigation system when rainfall exceeds five millimetres. The automated system then reactivates once the water has evaporated. In a further bid to save water, a trial phase to reduce water consumption in urinals has been implemented in two toilet facilities to assess the effectiveness of the bio-dome units, which neutralise the uric acid build-up while reducing water consumption. If these prove to be productive and cost-effective, installation in the remaining toilet facilities will be considered.
Energy saving is also receiving careful consideration while bearing in mind that the precinct by its nature operates 24 hours a day offering a wide range of services – in comfortable and pleasant surroundings. Energy efficient lighting has been installed in all the covered parking areas, including the multi-storey, Piazza, VIP, and Pivot parking.Recycling has been implemented across all activities on the property. Howell says that all tenants operate on a two-bin system (wet and dry waste bins) which assists in the sorting process in the waste area. “All waste – including wet, dry, which includes cardboard, paper, plastic, cans, glass, and polystyrene, as well as hazardous waste – is recycled at a level of 65 percent of waste generated on the property. “These levels are increasing all the time as we embark on education drives with staff, tenants, suppliers, visitors, and guests on the value of recycling, how they can contribute, and what difference it will make to their and their children’s future.” Howell stresses that education is key to the increasing success of the greening programme.
Taking recycling to another level, Montecasino has also invested in a wood chipper which is located at Servest Landscaping, the company responsible for landscaping and maintaining Montecasino’s grounds and gardens. The wood chipper allows the company to make its own mulch for the gardens from the trees that have been crown lifted or pruned on the property.
In an exciting and innovative initiative in the Montecasino Bird Gardens, 1 000 rain spiders were released into the gardens which will have the impact of reducing the need for organic pesticides. This initiative was combined with an extensive educational programme to all visitors, particularly school children, to the Bird Gardens to boost understanding of the contribution that rain spiders make to the environment. “These spiders are also known as huntsman spiders because of their insect hunting and eating habits. They’re harmless to humans and if left alone in gardens or indoors, will do their job of keeping the population of unwanted pests such as mosquitoes and cockroaches right down,” says Howell.
He adds, “We believe that our environmental programme will grow from strength to strength as we embark on innovative and highly sustainable initiatives. We’re proud of what Montecasino offers as an entertainment destination, but we’re also proud of the green choices we are making that will protect our environment for a long time to come.”
ABOUT MONTECASINO
Award-winning Montecasino - Gauteng’s number one entertainment destination - is ideally located in the heart of Fourways Johannesburg and is a spectacular 24-7 ‘World at Play’ development meticulously designed to replicate an authentic Tuscan Village. A casino, retail entertainment, corporate hospitality and events, three hotels on property and a luxury office park, is perfectly packaged to offer the very best in stylish entertainment to deliver a unique and memorable experience. Visitors to Montecasino are immediately captivated by our Italian communal theming and vibrant social and entertainment buzz – an atmosphere that keeps them returning again and again. Catering for both the leisure and business markets through our broad range of facilities, entertainment activities, abundant parking and convenient location just off the main commuter routes; it is clear to see why Montecasino attracts over 9.3 million visitors annually. For more information go to www.montecasino.co.za or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/montecasino.