Sustainability Leader Discusses Innovation at 2009 Environmental Expo in Vegas*

Nicholas Rumanes, vice president of development for the Las Vegas Sands Corp., spoke at the annual Environmental Expo during CardPak Inc.'s banquet at the Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. CardPak Inc. is a leading manufacturer of environmentally sustainable packaging products, headquartered in Solon, Ohio.

The dinner attracted 125 attendees, representing some of the pre-eminent retailers, consumer goods companies, packaging manufacturers, thermoformers, contract packagers, media and packaging associations nationwide.

"We chose the Palazzo for our banquet because the Las Vegas Sands Corp. has led the way in sustainability," explained Tony Petrelli, president of CardPak. "Its dedication to the environment echoes our standards and mission here at CardPak, and we couldn't have selected a better place to discuss the future of sustainability in packaging."

Rumanes spoke about founding and operating Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s sustainable development practice, which achieved a Silver LEED rating for the Palazzo Resort. Rumanes is an expert on sustainable building practice and has worked on similar projects for clients such as GE, Equinox, ABC, Disney, Omnicom and SAP.

The Palazzo is not only the largest LEED-certified building in the world, but it is more than four times bigger than the second largest. The total annual environmental savings generated as a result of the Palazzo's commitment to "green" technology and construction is staggering.

More than 41.6 million gallons of water are conserved annually, which is enough to fill 63 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Enough electricity to power more than 700 homes a year is also conserved at the Palazzo. And perhaps the most impressive statistic is the facility's waste conservation: approximately 42,000 tons of construction waste is diverted from landfill to recycling, which is the equivalent to a stack of cars 23-miles high.
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