When the owners of Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel decided
to constuct a new building for the casino, they added various green measures,
increasing the cost, but saving energy.

The casino, near Traverse City, Mich., reopened in June and
includes a 2,400 square foot green roof over one of its restaurants, roads and
a parking lot made with recycled materials, enough skylights to provide half of
the lighting during the day and an air purifying system that bring in outdoor
air and pumps out smoky air.

The casino also doesn’t serve drinks in cans or bottles, operates
its own well and sewage treatment system and installed slot machines that use
less energy than previous ones.

The owners, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, plan to demolish the old facility and recycle or reuse about 80 percent of its materials. The tribe estimates the green building designs added about 10 percent onto the cost of the project.