Isramart : OLG uses green power to reduce carbon footprint

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* OLG uses green power to reduce carbon footprint

OLG uses green power to reduce carbon footprint
Posted By FRANK DOBROVNIK, THE SAULT STAR
Updated 7 days ago


Casino Sault Ste. Marie just got a whole lot greener.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming's local casino and four others are now powered by 100-per-cent emissions-free or low-impact electricity. OLG's new retailer, Bullfrog Power, purchases power from wind and hydro operations, while traditional retailers, such as the Public Utilities Commission, purchase from whatever source they can get it cheapest for at the time, primarily nuclear or coal.

While "green power" comes at a premium, the costs are a "fraction" of the savings OLG is reaping from a program to reduce the Crown corporation's environmental footprint that started about 18 months ago, said Alex Hocevar, senior manager of Bet on Green.

The cost "is nowhere near the savings we get just from saving paper," Hocevar said.

On the retail side, OLG reduced the size of its printed tickets, such as Lotto 6/49, by 25 per cent on average on Jan. 25, "saving 7,000 trees a year. On the financial side, we're saving almost $1.5 million a year just by that small change alone."

The lottery's first two sites partnered with Bullfrog last May, Casino Brantford and the IT data centre in Toronto.

Joining Casino Sault Ste. Marie earlier this month were OLG Slots at Georgia Downs, Mohawk Racetrack, Hanover Raceway and Clinton Raceway. Between them, the seven facilities will put 26,000 megawatt hours a year back onto the grid, enough to power 2,300 homes. Operating 16 other casinos, the lottery corporation has committed to obtaining 90 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2014.

OLG is now among the largest supporters of renewable energy from Bullfrog Power in Canada.

Officials have taken other measures, such as installing LCD light bulbs at the casino and the Roberta Bondar offices. They're also installing "submeters" in the offices to monitor electricity usage and control it.

"Internally, in the offices, we are working on reducing our paper consumption," Hocevar said. "At our last measure, we were close to a 15-per-cent reduction year upon year, which is significant."