SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – MGM Springfield hosted a ceremony recognizing its designation as one of the first resorts in the gaming industry to achieve the highest rating for a new construction project.
The designation comes from the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is called The LEED New Construction Platinum certification.
The following people joined at 11 a.m. to highlight the ongoing work with state, local, and community leaders to promote responsible environmental stewardship and sustainability:
- Governor Charlie Baker
- Springfield Mayor, Domenic Sarno
- United States Green Building Council CEO & President, Mahesh Ramanujam
- Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner, Kathy Judd-Stein
- MGM Springfield President, Chris Kelley
- Additional state and community leaders
Gov. Baker commended the city of Springfield and MGM for revitalizing the downtown space, through energy-efficient strategies.
“Really brought back a whole part of the city and the downtown and was done with an extraordinary amount of commitment to the community and creativity,” Baker said.
MGM Springfield, now hailed by the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design as a blueprint for sustainability. Not only for choosing energy-efficient products, but also for restoring these buildings, rather than demolishing them.
“For each of the buildings you would have demolished,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, CEO, and president of the United States Green Building Council. “The environmental impact would be close to 80 years of reconstruction needed to be replaced with a brand new LEED platinum building.”
MGM Springfield receiving gold and platinum LEED awards, receiving high marks in sustainability, energy and atmosphere and regional priority.
One of the places to receive a platinum award is the Armory here. That’s because the lighting efficiency is 40 percent higher than what the building code requires and the water efficiency has a perfect score.
Mayor Domenic Sarno said, “Platinum LEED green award right here in the city of Springfield I think that is a testament to the leadership and belief of respect of the environment and also the historic content of the city of Springfield.”
Another theme from Thursday’s news conference; buzz about being able to use this space again as it becomes safer to do the things we’ve waited more than a year to do.
MGM Springfield receives industry’s first LEED Platinum certification
- Redeveloped and revitalized a tornado impacted site in South Springfield
- Integrated smart energy infrastructure and submeters through the facility to help monitor and control the property’s electrical and mechanical systems to support year-round energy efficiency
- Designed for significant onsite electricity generation, including a 1.13MW solar canopy and a 450kw microturbine, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) central plant
- Installed 50 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and 140 low-emitting-fuel efficient (LEFE) vehicle parking spaces in some of the most preferable locations of the guest and employee garages, to encourage the use of more environmentally preferable modes of transportation
- Diverted more than 95% of construction and demolition waste by weight, from landfills during construction
- Selected products from manufacturers that disclose information about the ingredients in their products, allowing us to make better-informed environmental, economic, and social decisions
- Used interior finishes such as paints, sealants, coatings, adhesives, carpeting, and composite wood products with low / no volatile organic chemicals and free of urea-formaldehyde, helping to create healthier spaces for our guests and employees
- Created a rainwater harvesting system and underground cistern to capture, store and treat rainwater onsite, allowing 100% of water for landscaping to come from this source
