Case Study: Tribal Casino P2

CHUMASH CASINO AND RESORT, SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA

EPA Region 9 completed a pollution prevention (P2)
evaluation of Chumash Casino Resort (Chumash) to
identify projects for reducing the propertys environmental
footprint. EPA visited the facility in 2008 and identified
several potential P2 projects as well as noted many
measures Chumash had already implemented.
Since the visit, Chumash has continued and broadened its
efforts at greening operations and continues to receive
accolades including the Santa Barbara County Green Award
Program (2007), EPA Region 9s Environmental
Achievement Award Program (2009), and the California
Integrated Waste Management Boards Waste Reduction
Award (2009). This case study summarizes all of those
initiatives and provides quantitative and qualitative
outcomes.
The Chumash Casino Resort located in Santa Ynez,
California includes an 180,000-square foot casino, 106room hotel with a day spa, and two parking structures.

Energy Use
Building
Envelope

HVAC

The entire exterior of the casino and hotel were constructed with double
insulation to maintain internal building temperatures, an especially important
feature during the summer months when external temperatures reach 90 to
100 F. Chumash used Dryvit Outsulation to provide a second layer of
insulation on the walls and includes a coat of stucco alternative that protects
against mold. A white, fire resistant synthetic rubber liner reflects sunlight
and heat in addition to providing a second layer of insulation on the roof.
Chumashs heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system inside the
casino and hotel features extensive energy efficiency measures. Energy Star
and energy efficient appliances are used throughout the facility. Variable
speed drives (VSDs) have been added to most of the mechanical systems
including water pumps, boilers, condenser fans, air ventilation, and reverse
osmosis water filters that allow
operators to adjust motor speeds and
reduce each systems energy demand.
The HVAC system includes an
economizer that reduces energy demand
by utilizing outside air to control indoor
air temperatures. Since all aspects of
the HVAC system are interrelated,
automated whole building controls and
software link, monitor, and adjust each
HVAC component from a centralized
location. These controls are integral for optimizing whole-system
performance and minimizing HVAC energy consumption.
Payback: Chumash estimates electricity costs savings related to the HVAC
system have resulted in an investment payback of approximately 1.8 years.

Case Study: Tribal Casino P2

KONOCTI VISTA CASINO AND RESORT, LAKEPORT, CALIFORNIA, (cont.)
Lighting

Lighting has been a major focus at Chumash,

with retrofits and changes made over the course
of several years as new technologies and
products emerge. The Facilities Department has
replaced all incandescent bulbs with CFLs, and
used LEDs in applications such as decorative
lights and slot machines. LEDs are now even
more cost-effective and Chumash plans for their
use in a wider range of applications. As a result,
the Facilities Department is upgrading the
interior lights, exterior lights, and street lights
with LED fixtures and bulbs.
To further reduce lighting energy loads,
occupancy sensors are installed in offices and
employee restrooms to automatically shut-off
lights when unoccupied.
Payback: Chumash estimates electricity costs
savings of approximately $46,000 per year.

Water Use
Bathrooms/
Laundry

Hotel bathrooms contain low flow showerheads and low flow toilets have
been installed throughout both the casino and hotel at Chumash.
Energy Star and energy efficient appliances are used throughout the casino
resort facilities.

Storm Water

Filter media inserts (Flogard) are installed in all the storm water inlets
around the casino and resort facilities to remove hydrocarbons, sediment,
and debris from road and parking lot runoff that would otherwise drain into
the nearby Zanja de Cota Creek.
Storm water runoff from the parking structures is collected and diverted to
the Chumash waste water treatment plant (WWTP).

Wastewater
Reuse

The Chumash WWTP is a tertiary treatment facility serving the casino, hotel,
and other buildings on the reservation. Grey water from the WWTP is sent
back to the casino and hotel for use in toilets and drip-irrigation.
The facilities are landscaped with native, drought tolerant plants that use
minimal irrigation.

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Case Study: Tribal Casino P2

KONOCTI VISTA CASINO AND RESORT, LAKEPORT, CALIFORNIA, (cont.)

Solid Waste
The Chumash facilities managers have implemented a tremendously
successful waste management program. Currently 49% of all waste is
being reused or recycled and in 2008 the program diverted 1,383,105
pounds of trash from the Tajiguas Landfill.
The solid waste program includes on-site source separation of pre-consumer
wastes into colored bags by facilities staff and off-site, hand separation of
comingled post-consumer wastes by a local trash contractor.

Kitchen and Food

Pre-consumer food scraps are sent by the waste management contractor to

either a piggery or compost facility.
Facilities personnel collect approximately 100 gallons of pre-consumer fats,
oil, and grease (FOG) weekly for sale to a local biodiesel company for about
$120 per month. A pilot project is underway to directly use the vegetable
waste oils to fuel Chumash community and fleet vehicles.
Chumash no longer uses disposable dishware and silverware. At the
Willows, a fine dining restaurant in the casino, the Chumash now use a
Natura water filtration system to filter and bottle the water onsite
eliminating the cost and impacts of purchasing over 100 cases of bottled
drinking water per month.

Furnishings and
Carpet

Chumash recycles uniforms materials and donates furniture to tribal

community members, local charities, and businesses. Switching to in-house
furniture upholstering allows reuse of most casino chairs, minimizing chair
replacement costs and reducing waste.
Chumash installed sectional carpet tiles with recycled content on the casino
floor to minimize carpet purchase and disposal. Replaced sections are
either re-used or recycled by a local trash contractor.

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Case Study: Tribal Casino P2

KONOCTI VISTA CASINO AND RESORT, LAKEPORT, CALIFORNIA, (cont.)
Bathrooms

Office

Paper towel dispensers are being systematically replaced with Dyson Air
Blade hand dryers which, when fully implemented will save $109,000
annually (for a 0.45 year payback) by reducing paper towel replacement,
maintenance, and cleaning costs.
Chumash administrative offices purchase environmentally preferable office
supplies wherever feasible and use paperless records and double-sided
printing and require suppliers to retrieve and reuse packaging and pallets.

Transportation
Chumash operates a fleet of over 15 vehicles to serve the Chumash Casino
Resort consisting mainly of buses, shuttles, and vans. A biodiesel blend of
up to 5% is often used in many of these vehicles, depending on the cost of
regular diesel.
Free shuttle buses rides are offered to customers and employees from Santa
Barbara, Goleta, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Solvang, and Buellton, further
reducing the transportation impacts of the Chumash Casino Resort
throughout Santa Barbara County.
Results: In 2009, 66,000 bus trips were made eliminating over 700,000
car trips.

Green Cleaning
The objectives of Chumash is green cleaning strategy are to use a minimal
amount of the least harmful chemicals necessary to effectively perform a
cleaning job.
Cleaning
Products and
Procedures

Many of the cleaners Chumash uses are Green Seal certified including
Tenacity, an all-purpose cleaner by Buckeye. Cleaners are purchased in
bulk and in high concentrations to minimize packaging, shipping, and
disposal. Automated cleaning chemical dispensers such as Smart Box are
used to avoid chemical overuse. Facilities managers regularly review the
amount, frequency, and effectiveness of cleaning chemical use and make
adjustments as needed.
Custodians use microfiber mops that require less cleaning solution instead of
conventional loop mops, and also use the Rubbermaid Wavebreak, a bucket
that separates clean and dirty water to prevent surface recontamination.

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Case Study: Tribal Casino P2

KONOCTI VISTA CASINO AND RESORT, LAKEPORT, CALIFORNIA, (cont.)
Equipment

Casino Floor: On the casino floors, staff uses battery powered sweepers,
hard surface cleaners, and carpet vacuum machines. These machines
require considerably less time and energy than traditional methods.
Previously, using standard upright vacuums for the carpets it took 8 people
2 hours to clean the whole casino. Now, with a single battery-powered
machine, it takes 1 person 2 hours to clean the same area.
Escalators: Personnel now use a
Rotomac 330 instead of cleaning
escalators by hand. Before, staff
members needed to wear respirators
while scrubbing escalator surfaces
using harsh chemicals to remove dirt
and grease. Now an automated
machine is attached to the escalator
that reduces labor and eliminates the
need for harsh chemical or
respirators.
Poker Chips: Cleaning and replacing chips can be a costly for casinos. A
typical chip cleaning machine can cost $6,000 to $60,000 depending on
security requirements and previously required six staff members about 1
week to clean the majority of the chips. Chumash has developed an
innovative method to clean and extend the life of poker chips. To reduce
the labor, time, and costs Chumash switched from a standard chip-cleaning
machine to a $1,100 GE Profile washing machine without an agitator. Now
2 staff members can clean the majority of the casinos chips in 24 hours.
Instead of a typical cleaning solution the chips are soaked and washed in a
solution designed by the Chumash Facilities Manager, Mark Funkhouser,
consisting of an all-purpose cleaner, degreaser, and Teflon sealer. The
cleaner and degreaser effectively remove all dirt and grime, and the Teflon
coating has more than doubled the standard life of Chumash Casino chips,
which can now last over 6 years.

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