Most think of the smell of freshly minted paper – or of green money chips – when Las Vegas comes to mind. I don’t blame you for automatically reflecting on the glitzy hotels, the casino-culture and the beautiful people that frequent the famous Sincity Strip. Las Vegas has an allure to it and and who in their right mind wouldn’t be drawn to kitsch bright lights and want to relive Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On power ballad?
However Las Vegas, surrounded by desert and barren mountains, can also be experienced for its eco-friendly embrace. With the natural progression towards a more environmentally aware society, Las Vegas has seen many vacation hotels, restaurants and adventure activities adopting a greener approach to protecting our environment.
Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck is a leading innovator in Las Vegas eateries adopting a more ethically environmental approach to running restaurants. Puck himself has opened a number of eco-friendly restaurants in Las Vegas. Nestled inside Las Vegas’s Springs Preserve, an outdoor park area, is Puck’s Spring Cafe which features 100% organic foods, and the menu is constantly updated and refined with ingredients “straight from the farmer to the meals you eat.” Make sure to try the Turkey Burger and the House salad – fresh, light and oh so delicious.
Just as it sounds, Raw Cafe caters to vegans lovers. Be warned that if you are a carnivore this may be the wrong choice altogether. However Raw Cafe has a stellar reputation and provides tasty juices, raw meals and even more delectable raw dessert options. Do not forget to sample the mouthwatering portabello mushroom wrap and the berry loaded cheesecake.
LBS Burger Joint has embraced an environmentally conscious approach not only to its food produce, but to the building materials used to build the eatery. The restaurant also recycles and uses 100% bio -degradable drinking straws. What’s even better is that you get to build your own fully natural burger with 6 patty options and 22 vegetables and grains options.
The Palazzo, The Venetian, Meetings and Convention Space has invested both time and resources into creating a greener and more cleaner way of living and, essentially, sleeping: The Palazzo is one of the biggest green campuses and LEED certified buildings in the world . From the energy saving and recycling initiatives to the eco-safe cleaning materials and water cooling treatment system, it is clear that hotel management are serious about promoting a clean energy initiative.
The Springs Preserve is a 180-acre cultural and outdoor mecca which promotes and educates people on a more sustainable and green future. Visit the museums to learn more about the history of Spring Preserve. The outside areas house summer concerts and the magnificent botanical gardens. It’s a brilliant place to take your family and teach your children about clean energy and how easy and accessible sustainable living can be.
Adventures junkies with an affinity for sustainable living are in for the thrill of their lives. Not only can you explore a mountain terrain without causing any damage to its natural habitat, but you can do so by being suspended from cables. If this is something that tickles your eco-friendly fancy then the Bootleg Canyon Zipline Tour is worth exploring further. The red Mountain in Nevada has never been more exposed and the tour itself is designed to have as minimal an effect on the environment as possible.
