Name: Katarina Tesarova
Title: Director of Sustainable Operations
Organization: Energy and Environmental Services Division of MGM Resorts International
Years with MGM Resorts International: Five
Primary responsibilities: “I am responsible for the implementation of green practices in our properties—designing programs that reduce our environmental footprint and increase employee awareness.”
Company’s most significant environment-related accomplishment so far: “Of course LEED certification [for CityCenter] is the most visible accomplishment for us. We truly pushed the envelope with that project.”
Organization’s most significant environment-related challenge: “Our challenge has always been a reduction in resources—especially water—how to do things more efficiently with less. Identifying the practices that help us minimize the use of water.”
LAS VEGAS—Earlier in her career, when she was specializing in accounting and finance, Katarina Tesarova never imagined she would end up working in a position having to do with sustainability. Today, Tesarova can proudly say she led the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building certification process for CityCenter, the largest private development in the United States. She was responsible for the LEED compliance process during the four years of design and construction. The $8.6 billion development has since earned six LEED Gold certifications, making it the largest new construction LEED certified project in the world.
When starting with MGM Resorts International in 2005, Tesarova’s previous experience in hospitality was working for a small international travel company. She had received her law degree from Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, and a Masters of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She is now a LEED Accredited Professional and a member of the Green Building Council of Nevada.
At MGM Resorts International, Tesarova is part of a team of six people overseeing the company’s environmental initiatives. (See previous article on Michele Diener, also a member of that team.) Managing the company’s green programs is no small task. In addition to CityCenter, MGM Resorts International’s portfolio includes Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Luxor, Excalibur and a number of other properties.
Company’s Green Strategy
Tesarova says MGM’s approach has been to first develop a strategic plan for sustainability, communicate it to all properties, and then have green teams carry out the initiatives. Before any new initiative is launched company-wide, it is first tested at one hotel and then evaluated. “There is always something in the pipeline that is coming up,” Tesarova says.
To get the company’s 60,000 employees to buy in to on-property initiatives, they are first educated about how to live more sustainably at home. The program is called “Conservation Begins at Home. “We are hoping these basic values will be brought to work,” Tesarova says.
Almost a year after the opening of CityCenter, the complex is performing well from a resource efficiency standpoint. “We have about nine months of data,” Tesarova says. “The energy and water efficiency is right in line with our estimate.”
As expected, an 8.2-megawatt cogeneration plant has been working well and providing 30 percent of the electricity for CityCenter while also helping to heat hot water.
Additional Company Initiatives
Here is just a small sample of some of MGM Resorts International’s other green initiatives:
• All of the MGM Resorts International Las Vegas properties incorporate desert landscaping in the land surrounding the resorts. For example, Excalibur removed 27,000 square feet of grass near sidewalks and public areas and replaced it with high quality synthetic turf. The resort expects to save an average of 1.7 million gallons of potable water annually as a result of this project.
• All MGM Resorts International Las Vegas Strip properties have implemented recycling programs, saving virgin resources and reusing valuable materials. Recycled commodities include plastic, glass, paper, cardboard and metal. From 2007 to 2008, the recycling rate improved 45 percent across the company, equating to more than 16,000 tons of recyclables. As part of a comprehensive waste management program, the company is also focused on reducing the amount of materials entering the properties and reusing supplies, furnishings, and other equipment when feasible.
• MGM Resorts International supports sustainable purchasing practices and considers raw materials, logistics, and the performance of a product when making buying decisions. The company works with the supply chain to identify best practices and new opportunities for reducing environmental impact. Grocery vendors have committed to deliver 90 percent of all items to Luxor through a maximum of two distributors, resulting in reduced transportation mileage to and from distribution centers.
• Excalibur’s employee green team, “Green To Go,” regularly publishes internal newsletters to share environmentally friendly property accomplishments, profiles of eco-employees, and tips for greening the workplace. Circus Circus has a similar employee program, called “Green Act.” This property coordinates employee green fairs, and it regularly includes green tips in daily announcements.
Tesarova Offers LEED Advice
Having worked on getting the largest construction project through the LEED process, Tesarova offers this advice to anyone pursuing LEED certification: “Set your goals early on. Stay away from the infamous ‘maybes.’ Communicate your objectives very clearly. Tell everyone what they need to do in terms that they understand. Hold people accountable for their portion of the project.”
Even though working in a positioned focused on sustainability may not have been a career objective early on, Tesarova says conservation has always been a part of who she is.
“I grew up in Slovakia where conservation was a very strong value,” she says. “It was a way of life. I did not realize until I worked on CityCenter that there was so much more to sustainability.”
Las Vegas may be a long way from Slovakia, but for Tesarova the city has definitely been a good match. When it comes to sustainability, few others in the United States have had as much impact on so much real estate.
Go to MGM Resorts International.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
