Emnotweni Casino is doing more than just paying lip service to its commitment to “going green”. In the past year, Emnotweni has stepped up its programme to improve the environmental-friendliness and energy efficiency of its business.

This has resulted in Emnotweni Casino being awarded silver status from the Heritage Environmental Management Company which audits the casino’s procedures and practices every eight months. The casino is working closely with Emnotweni Sun and Emnotweni StayEasy to further its green ambitions.

“We realise the full effort involved in obtaining gold status, and therefore have realistically set our aim at reaching gold status within the next two years, and platinum thereafter. We take to heart our obligation to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment. We know that we have a responsibility to limit our carbon footprint, save electricity and protect our precious natural resources, and we take this seriously,” says Ig Olivier, General Manager at Emnotweni Casino.

In its recent audit, the Heritage Environmental Management Company evaluated the casino on all aspects of environmental management including design and construction; transportation; noise management; water and energy management; waste management, processes followed for the disposal of chemicals and other hazardous materials, and environmental management systems amongst others.

“We want a clean bill of health in all areas including cultivating a culture of energy saving and environmental responsibility amongst our staff. We believe that it is important to involve our employees and gain their support if we want our eco-friendly and energy saving tactics to be sustainable,” adds Olivier.

The casino recycles everything that can be reused – from paper, tins and bottles to cooking oil. A grease trap has also been built behind the kitchen to trap fats and oils and prevent it from entering the drainage system and then flowing into the river.

All the chemicals used in the kitchen and for cleaning are environmentally friendly, and no soap is used in the car wash as the water flows into the storm water drain. On the electricity front, the casino has recently retrofitted old, inefficient lights with energy saving lamps, and is encouraging employees to use electricity conservatively.

“We are committed to continually improving our standpoint. Our successes so far prove that even the smallest changes in the way we work on a day-to-day basis can have a significant impact,” concludes Olivier.

For more information on the new promotion please the Emnotweni Casino website at www.emnotweni.co.za