The Palazzo —Polischuk

The Pack Expo/CPP Expo trade shows held this month in Las Vegas had a successful three days. These events draw a unique audience of printers/converters, equipment and materials suppliers, and consumer products companies. Not surprisingly, a common topic at virtually every booth I visited was sustainability.

One of the more interesting events at the show was the Third Annual Environmental Expo dinner organized by package printer CardPak at The Palazzo Hotel and Casino located on the famous Las Vegas Strip. Tony Petrelli, president of CardPak, hosts this event as a tangible expression of his passion for sustainability.

The keynote speaker at the dinner was Nicholas Rumanes, VP of development for the Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS). According to Petrelli, Rumanes is responsible for founding and operating LVS's sustainable development practice in which the company achieved the Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating for the building of The Palazzo Resort. The LEED Green Building Rating System is a nationally accepted benchmark for high-performance green buildings. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, The Palazzo Resort is the world's largest LEED-certified building.

In his address, Rumanes presented some of the highlights that make the building so unique. First and foremost, the rooms have been designed and constructed to provide a 60 percent decrease in electrical use and a 40 percent reduction in water use. Other noteworthy metrics include:

• The swimming pools (including saunas) are heated soley with a solar heating system during the months of May through October.

• During the construction of The Palazzo, a waste recycling program diverted more than 70 percent of waste from the landfill.

It is very interesting to note that, in a city known for its excesses, The Palazzo Resort can stand out on the world stage for its stellar performance in reducing consumption of natural resources.

Rumanes said the biggest challenge throughout the endeavor was getting people to change the existing methods of operation. Whether trying to make significant sustainability gains in building design and construction or in packaging design and manufacturing, that is a common challenge. However, just like at The Palazzo, the opportunities for package printers are significant.

Tom Polischuk, Editor-in-Chief

We welcome your comments regarding any part of packagePRINTING. They can be addressed to Editor, packagePRINTING, 1500 Spring Garden St., 12th Flr., Philadelphia, PA 19130, or tpolischuk@napco.com

• MORE ON
• SUSTAINABILITY