Harrah’s Ak-Chin will be looking decidedly green in April. It won’t be just Earth Day. April is Earth Month as the casino ignites its yearly effort to “go green.”
For all of April, the building will be illuminated with green lighting.
In fact, the casino got started a little early on it earthy events with a shredding event March 21 and then Earth Hour on March 28, turning off nonessential exterior lights for an hour that night.
It is highlighting Code Green efforts, a Caesar’s Entertainment policy of de-littering and recycling. In 2014, Harrah’s Ak-Chin’s Code Green recycled 274 tons of waste. The waste included 80,000 pounds of construction and demolition debris, 58,398 pounds of metal, 235,829 pounds of corrugated and 95,221 pounds of fats, oils and greases, which is turned into bio-fuel.
“We recycle everything you could possibly recycle,” said April Stovall, surveillance and facilities manager and property Code Green leader.
Last year in a Code Green Challenge among 40 Caesar’s properties, Harrah’s Ak-Chin came out tops in the company with its series of initiatives. It’s something the casino would like to repeat in 2015, Stovall said.
Code Green items are on sale in the gift shop during the month – items like water bottles, lanyards and tree-free green cards. At the end of April, a friendship bracelet made of seed paper will be available.
At the end of March, the hotel launched its streamlined recycle program. Each room has a Code Green sign bearing the Code Green logo with a list of items that can be recycled.
“There will be a recycling bag on the table, so for guests that would like to recycle, they have the option to do so,” Stovall said.
Participating in the Clean the World project, the hotel at Harrah’s Ak-Chin recycles soap bars to be used in Third World countries.
“We want to reduce our carbon footprint, and it’s part of our code of commitment,” Stovall said.
Every day in April, employees are encouraged to bring in recyclables and be entered into a drawing for fun prizes.
Nationally, Earth Day is April 22. The casino will host a celebration for its employees. That will also be jeans day, as will April 9, as they encourage donations with proceeds going to the Recycling Association of Maricopa.
April 24, the Ak-Chin Indian Community celebrates Earth Day at its recreation center. Code Green will host a breakfast for the community and then will pick up trash at various locations on the reservation. Harrah’s Ak-Chin will be among the booths set up for the day’s events from noon to 2 p.m. There, Code Green will distribute data and information about its work and give away free items.
In April, Harrah’s Ak-Chin will install free electric car charging stations near the Bingo building. The date will be announced on the casino’s Facebook page.
“We won’t be charging for that. It will be an amenity for guests who choose to go green,” Stovall said.
Then on April 25 at 7 p.m., the casino will have a drawing for an electric car.
April 27 is Harrah’s Ak-Chin’s quarterly Adopt-a-Highway cleanup along its designated two-mile stretch of State Route 347 fronting the casino. April 30, the Harrah’s Ak-Chin Executive Team will host a barbecue for the Ak-Chin elders and distribute recycled items like Code Green keychains and T-shirts.
