Name: Mandy Martin
Title: Global Sustainability Manager
Organization: Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Years with Las Vegas Sands Corp.: Just shy of two years.
Primary responsibilities: Mandy leads Las Vegas Sands’ global sustainability efforts in the United States, Macau and Singapore. “Overall I run the Sands ECO360° program worldwide,” she says. “I am the ‘go to’ person for communications, public relations and community engagement. I also do reporting for the Carbon Disclosure Project, worked on our 2011 Environmental Report, and work on other similar reports.”
Organization’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment so far: “It changes every single year,” she says. “This year we made the Carbon Disclosure Project Leadership Index. Last year we had the best improvement in the Newsweek green rankings.”
Organization’s most significant sustainability-related challenge: “A hot topic is sustainable food. Does that mean local? Organic? Food is one we are doing a lot of research on.”
LAS VEGAS—In her role as Global Sustainability Manager with Las Vegas Sands Corp., Mandy Martin is part of a team that has significantly reduced the company’s environmental impact on the Strip and in resort locations including Pennsylvania, Macau and Singapore. Since January 1 this year Las Vegas Sands has reduced energy consumption by 22 million kilowatt-hours. Martin says most of the savings have come through lighting retrofits. “We do a lot of lighting projects,” she says.
Martin’s typical day involves meetings, conference calls and possibly giving what her company calls “sustainability safari” tours—tours of the complex of the company’s LEED certified buildings that include The Venetian, The Palazzo, and Sands Expo and Convention Center.
“I have been working a lot with our local university—the University of Nevada Las Vegas,” she says. “We created a sustainability student challenge and are asking students to come up with projects related to sustainability to help them have hands on experience.” Martin says 17 students have signed up so far and are competing for a $50,000 prize.
Always Focused on Continuous Improvement
Martin consolidates the data for the different resort properties’ green initiatives and, working together with several others, researches new technologies and ways to reduce energy and water consumption and improve waste management efficiency. She is active in the company’s property-level Green Councils in Las Vegas and participates in what her company calls “deep dive” calls where green champions at each property share updates and best practices.
When Martin first joined Las Vegas Sands Corp., the company was putting together its first Environmental Report. She assisted with the production of that 2011 report that is now available online. “It was the first time our company really started to talk about what we are doing,” Martin says. “It helped us solidify what we wanted to do going forward.”
The 26-page 2011 report summarizes Las Vegas Sands’ environmental strategies, key issues of concern, green building and operational accomplishments, 2015 targets, and cites accomplishments at each property. The Sands ECO360° Meetings program is also a focus of the report, as well as team member education and community involvement.
High Score on Leadership Index
In September Las Vegas Sands announced that it had achieved a position in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Global 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index with a score of 98 out of 100. This annual index highlights those companies listed on the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (Global 500) that have displayed a strong approach in disclosing information regarding climate change. Martin played a key role in gathering and reporting information that led to the Las Vegas Sands accomplishment.
Last year, Las Vegas Sands shot up the list of America’s most environmental companies in Newsweek’s Green Rankings. The company saw a rise of 238 ranks to No. 128 on the U.S. list, the largest positive change on the list of 500 companies and 20 industries. The work of Martin and many others at Las Vegas Sands led to the Newsweek honor.
Martin says Las Vegas Sands is fortunate to have high level executive support behind its sustainability initiatives. “Their enthusiasm trickles down,” she says. Sheldon Adelson is Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands and Michael Leven is President and COO.
Upbringing Influenced Her Career Path
Martin says her appreciation for the environment began when she was a child growing up on a farm. It was the country she grew up in that also was important. “I’m from Canada,” she says. “Sustainability is ingrained a little bit more in our culture. It is now part of who I am.”
Prior to joining Las Vegas Sands Corp., Martin helped Carnival Cruise Lines identify and analyze potential energy efficiency projects at its headquarters in Miami. With Hurley Corp., a facilities management company based in Toronto, she developed and implemented a company-wide Environmental Management System to achieve the ISO 14001 standard.
Martin has served on various committees and panels, including the Climate Reality Leadership Corps., NEWH Sustainability Committee, and Governance Committee of the U.S. Green Building Council, Nevada. Additionally, Martin was recently selected for Leadership Las Vegas, an executive development program in Southern Nevada.
Martin completed her International MBA with a concentration in Sustainability at the University of South Carolina and a dual B.Sc. in Peace and Conflict Studies and Psychology from Trinity College, University of Toronto.
Go to Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
