Nisqually Red Wind Casino’s Green Team- (L to R) David Horn, Diane Hanson, Patti Rigby & LeRoy WhiteMountain. 

Energy efficient lighting in the parking garage. Environmentally friendly cleaning supplies in housekeeping. Biodegradable packing peanuts in the gift shop. Recycled ink cartridges in marketing. A nearly paperless purchase ordering system. These are just a few items from a list of last year’s accomplishments compiled by Nisqually Red Wind Casino’s Green Team, an eight-member team established in 2008 to lower the organization’s environmental footprint and sustainability efforts.

Every April, Thurston Green Business celebrates area businesses and organizations that practice sustainability. At the annual recognition celebration, Thurston Green honors a small, medium and large business with the Green Business of the Year award. According to the committee, Nisqually Red Wind Casino consistently has an outstanding application full of innovative activities they implemented over the previous 12 months. A notable force at this organization-the committee believes-is the existence of a Green Team that consistently pushes the casino’s green efforts forward. We caught up with the Green Team in September to learn more.

Nisqually Red Wind Casino’s Green Team meets twice a month. They produce a monthly newsletter (printed on recycled paper) allowing them to share ideas and new programs. Each year, the group picks quarterly themes, creating a focal point for the upcoming year’s efforts. Last year it was the four elements, Earth, Wind, Air, and Fire.
“We get new ideas, and we do everything we can to implement that idea,” said Patti Rigby, one of the group’s leaders. “Recently a team member noticed that we were going through too many plastic straws. The team talked and went to the manager of the department and asked if there was a way to reduce straw use. Today, they no longer offer straws to customers but provide one if requested. It is an easy fix; you have to start small and work together to come up with solutions.”

Over the past eight years, the group has successfully lobbied to have employee reviews change from a 12-page printed document to digital instead. They worked with purchasing to buy pens made from recycled plastic, and they dramatically increased the number of recycling bins throughout the Casino while working with employees on best practices-remove that lid before you recycle the water bottle.

The lesson learned is that small changes made consistently over time can have a significant impact. “Our team won’t give up. We keep working together to move our ideas forward until they become a reality,” said Diane, another Green Team member.

One of their most ambitious projects is on track to roll out close to Thanksgiving – a food rescue and recovery program. The first part of the plan was to reduce the amount of leftover food through improved planning and buying, but there was still a lot of leftovers, so then the group worked out a system to get that food to needy residents in our community. The group is working with kitchen managers to package and deliver high-quality leftover meals to their local food bank program, which will provide the meals to area low-income seniors.

What motivates the team and the organization?
“We want to lessen our footprint and preserve the environment for future generations,” said Patti. “The support of this program comes from the top down, but it takes everyone, from the general manager to the folks working in the kitchen to make this happen.”