Page 24 - March 2016 • Southern California Gaming Guide

PAGE 24
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
MARCH 2016
TChumash Casino Resort Named 2015 WasteWise Tribal Partner
he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Chumash Casino Resort its 2015 Partners demonstrate how they reduce WasteWise Tribal Partner of the Year. e EPA honored 15 businesses and organizations nationwide waste, practice environmental stewardship and
st
with its 2015 WasteWise Awards on January 21 . e award is in recognition of Chumash Casino incorporate sustainable materials management
Resort’s outstanding leadership in waste prevention and diversion, as measured in 2014. Toyota Motor North America, Kohl’s Department Stores, the city of Fort Lauderdale and Colorado State University were among the other award winners.
into their waste-handling processes. Endorsers promote enrollment in WasteWise as part of a comprehensive approach to help their stakeholders realize the economic bene ts to reducing waste. Launched in 1994, WasteWise has become a mainstay in environmental stewardship and continues to evolve to address tomorrow’s environmental needs.
Located on Highway 246 in Santa Ynez, Chumash Casino Resort is owned and operated by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. e Tribe also owns Hotel Corque, Root 246, and the Hadsten House in Solvang, and two gas stations in Santa Ynez. As the largest employer in the Santa Ynez Valley, the Tribe employs more than 1,700 residents of Santa Barbara County.
AEgua Caliente Casino Resorts’ Employees Wrap Up a Year of Giving
“We’re honored that the EPA has recognized Chumash Casino Resort for our e orts to reduce waste,” said Vincent Armenta, Tribal Chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
“Our facilities department has made great strides in recent years, and its goal to make Chumash Casino Resort a zero-waste facility by 2019 is within reach.”
A decade ago, Chumash Casino Resort averaged 380,000 pounds of trash each month and recycled just 3 percent of it. Now, according to Mark Funkhouser, Custodial Services Manager at Chumash Casino Resort, the resort generates 300,000 pounds per month and recycles nearly two-thirds of it. He noted that Chumash Casino
Resort joined the EPA’s WasteWise program so his team could annually track its waste reduction and progress toward becoming a zero-waste facility.
Chumash Casino Resort was also named a WasteWise Partner of the Year in 2012, the rst year it won the award. “We want to be aware of our waste and deal with it in an environmentally friendly way,” Funkhouser said. “One part of that is nding out what is in our waste stream and
where each item can go.”
Wastewise helps organizations and businesses
apply sustainable materials management practices to reduce municipal and select industrial wastes. Organizations can join WasteWise as a partner, endorser or both.
mployees of Spa Resort Casino and Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa look back at 2015 and the hundreds of pounds of gently used clothing to opportunities to give in wide-ranging ways to local non-pro t organizations. Desert Best Friend’s Closet.
“I am continually inspired by the ability of our casino team members to raise the standard of excellence And during Breast Cancer Awareness Month
when it comes to being of service to our community,” Chief Operating O cer C. J. Graham said.
in October, team members contributed their choice of $5 daily or $20 for the week in exchange for wearing jeans to work and raised $8,750 in support of local chapters of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the American Cancer Society. ey also laced up their running and walking shoes to participate in two events and received reimbursement for their entry fees: Paint El Paseo Pink bene ting Desert Cancer Foundation- Suzanne Jackson Breast Cancer Fund, and the Tram Road Challenge, bene ting the United Way of the Desert.
“ e spirited generosity of our team members throughout 2015 is the big red bow wrapping up a tremendous year of charitable giving,” Human Resources Executive Director Robin Stone re ected.
Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa and Spa Resort Casino are owned and operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, which also owns the world-renowned Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon hiking trails, and Indian Canyons Golf Resort.
Spa Resort Casino and Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa team members closed the 2015 year with multiple opportunities to celebrate the season of giving throughout December, including coming together in the holiday spirit to donate an assortment of gifts requested by the women and children supported by Shelter from the Storm, a non-pro t organization dedicated to support victims of domestic violence in the Coachella
Valley. ey also donated a surplus of new household and other premium gift items from the casinos’ marketing e orts over the year to Desert Arc, a Coachella Valley non-pro t that creates life-enhancing opportunities for people with disabilities. And they made life-saving donations at the Desert Blood Services vehicles that were parked conveniently nearby team member entrances during the month.
“No Shave November” had team members putting down their razors and donating $10 a week or $30 for the whole month to help educate about cancer prevention, save lives and aid those ghting the battle. e month-long focus on hair, which many cancer patients lose, culminated in a day of shaving with local barbers where team
members could make further donations by getting a trim. e resounding response resulted in Agua Caliente Casino Resorts presenting the American Cancer Society with a check for $4,163.
In February 2015, team members came together as part of a coordinated collection effort called “Agua Cares—from the Heart” to help the homeless in the Coachella Valley. Team members donated a vast assortment of everyday necessities, including toothbrushes and shaving items, to the Friends of Roy Foundation in support of Roy’s Desert Resource Center. The center was again a beneficiary in March when they received a surplus of hams from a team member Easter gift program.
May was Military Appreciation Month at The Grand Palms Buffet and Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa donated $10,333 in support of the local Bob Hope USO Palm Springs where team members from both casino properties delivered and served a feast to all in attendance on Memorial Day. September brought with it a “Fresh Start” for someone in need when team members again joined forces and helped low-income Coachella Valley residents prepare for job interviews by donating
March 2016 Tribes in the News