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talking points Exporting our greatest ideas Wynn, Adelson have applied the best of their Las Vegas creations to Macau properties S by Richard N. Velotta CO GU LU ES M T N ome of Las Vegas' most successful casino entrepreneurs have parlayed their fortunes by developing great ideas, tweaking them over time, then exporting them. Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson, for example, made his fortune by establishing a convention center, filling it with meetings and trade shows and building a hotel around it, making it irresistibly convenient for conventioneers to stay there. Adelson first bought the Comdex trade show in the late '70s, developed it into the world's largest computer event and planted it in the Sands Expo Center. As the show grew, Adelson was able to build the Venetian and the Palazzo. Over time, the Sands empire evolved, and Adelson took his winning formula 20131216_VI06_F.indd 6 100,000 flowers. Wynn also is using the idea to help sell a proposed resort near Boston. He is in a competition to build a casino in Massachusetts and reportedly posted a photo of a Faberge egg floral display to promote that idea. The floral displays in Las Vegas should build some anticipation for Wynn's Macau project, which will include a series of displays on pedestals "like wedding cakes," which Wynn compared to floats in Pasadena's Rose Parade. And once again, a Las Vegas idea will be exported abroad. I'm sure the home crowd would rather see that type of creativity stay here. Wynn once said his biggest regret about the Bellagio was that the best seat for the fountain show is at the Eiffel Tower restaurant across the street. Nevada already recycles more than a quarter of its waste and can get to 75 percent ov. 15 was America Recycles Day. It's a national initiative promoting recycling in the United States. When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began working with Nevada businesses, state officials and community leaders in 1999, the state's recycling rate was one of the lowest in the country at 11 percent — far below the Legislature's 25 percent goal set in 1991. I am happy to report that by 2012, Nevada surpassed that goal with a 28.8 percent rate. In Douglas County, the recycling rate is 54.4 percent — the highest in the state. Washoe County isn't far behind at 33.6 percent. Crucial to the state's success is Clark County; its recycling rate jumped from 8.3 percent in 1999 to 27.5 percent in 2012. Nevada is not alone — communities 6 for the fountain show is at the Eiffel Tower restaurant, owned by competitor Caesars Entertainment. He said he learned from that and incorporated a restaurant at Wynn Macau overlooking the lake. Last month, Wynn showed off a piece of the vision for his new Cotai resort in Las Vegas, unveiling two massive floral displays, a hot air balloon and a carousel, in the Wynn atrium. "We're always trying to look for new things for the hotel," Wynn said. "We love to have this place constantly changing. It makes it much more interesting for our guests." The carousel includes four horses on a rotating platform adorned with Off to good start on waste goal by Jared Blumenfeld N to Macau and Singapore. Now, Steve Wynn has taken a piece of his past and plans to expand it to a new resort in Macau, themed around magnificent floral arrangements, much like the Bellagio Conservatory. It isn't the first time Wynn has borrowed from the Bellagio, which he opened in 1998. He replicated the Bellagio's fountain show at Wynn Macau but added colored lights and fireballs. While the all-white lights at the Bellagio are stylish and graceful, the colored fountains and flames add an exciting element to Wynn's Macau show. Wynn once said his biggest regret about the Bellagio is that the best seat around the world are making tremendous progress in keeping waste out of landfills and incinerators through reuse, recycling and composting. The national recycling rate is 34.7 percent. Many communities are now targeting a zero waste future, which maximizes efficiencies in the way we develop, use and dispose of products. Recycling is very important to our environmental well-being and our economy. It is an unsung hero in boosting our economy nationwide. Recycling 75 percent of the nation's waste would create nearly 1.5 million jobs by 2030, according to a report by the Tellus Institute with Sound Resource Management. In 2008, 861,000 American jobs were directly associated with recycling, according to the same report. Reducing waste by 75 percent may sound like an impossible number, but it's not. The key is to focus on food waste. We throw away about 40 percent of the food we buy. Every year, $165 billion worth is thrown away. When food rots in landfills, it creates methane, a greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Food in landfills contributes 20 percent of all U.S. methane emissions. There are solutions: We can donate food that we can't use and compost food scraps and green waste. Compost improves soil health, increases drought resistance and reduces, and sometimes even eliminates, the need for supplemental water, fertilizers and pesticides. While municipal composting is just beginning in Nevada, you can get started with backyard composting right away. The EPA's Food Recovery Challenge program is working to prevent food waste in Nevada. UNLV, UNR and MGM Resorts International are the first Food Recovery Challenge participants in Nevada, and they are already doing great work to reduce food waste. We encourage more Nevada organizations to join the challenge. The EPA applauds the work of Nevada's citizens, the governor's office, the state Division of Environmental Protection, local governments, and recyclers and composters, for their zero waste leadership. Your actions every day make a difference. I hope you'll join me in recycling today and every day. Jared Blumenfeld is the regional administrator for the U.S. EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. Recycling 75 percent of the nation's waste would create nearly 1.5 million jobs by 2030, according to a report by the Tellus Institute with Sound Resource Management. | 16 DECEMBER 2013 | 12/11/13 5:41:00 PM

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