LAS VEGAS, March 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 12th consecutive year, MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) will participate in Earth Hour, the worldwide effort that puts climate change in the spotlight. A total of 19 MGM Resort properties around the globe, as well as T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will turn off all non-essential exterior lighting, rooftop signage and marquees to symbolize its ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability. All interior and essential lights will remain on during this time, and property operations should not be affected.  

Earth Hour is on March 30, 2019 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time and is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. Every year millions of people, businesses and landmarks set aside an hour to host events, switch off their lights and celebrate the Earth Hour movement. Earth Hour 2019 comes at a critical time, when the discussion of climate change has been elevated in the global arena.

Exterior lighting, rooftop signage, marquees and front features at all the MGM Resorts' major Las Vegas properties, as well as Beau Rivage Resort and Casino and Gold Strike Tunica in Mississippi, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in New Jersey, MGM National Harbor in Maryland, MGM China in Macau and Cotai, will also participate.

"MGM Resorts is proud to be a leader in environmental sustainability and we are deeply committed to making sure we do our part to conserve energy," said Cindy Ortega, MGM Resorts International Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer. "Earth Hour gives us an opportunity to join many other global voices that recognize climate change as one of the most important issues we face today."

Earth Hour, which began as a symbolic, lights out event in Sydney, Australia in 2007, is the world's largest grassroots movement that advocates for eco-consciousness. More than 180 countries and territories, and millions of people around the world are engaged in this celebration as a global moment of solidarity for the planet. Notable world-famous landmarks, including the Sydney Opera House and The Acropolis of Athens also take part.

Earth Hour is one of the many ways MGM Resorts focuses on bringing awareness to conservation and increasing the energy efficiencies of our buildings. For example, between 2007-2017, we reduced energy use by 16%, partly by installing over 1.5 million LED lightbulbs across our resorts. The cumulative energy we've saved over this period is equivalent to the annual usage of more than 125,000 average U.S. homes. MGM has committed to reduce our carbon emissions per square foot by 50%.

For more information about MGM Resorts International's commitment to sustainability, please visit: www.mgmresorts.com/csr.

ABOUT MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 29 unique hotel and destination gaming offerings including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. Expanding throughout the U.S. and around the world, the company acquired the operations of Empire City Casino in New York in 2019, and in 2018, opened MGM Springfield in Massachusetts, MGM COTAI in Macau, and the first Bellagio-branded hotel in Shanghai. The over 82,000 global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies®. For more information visit us at www.mgmresorts.com.

About WWF  

WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Visit panda.org/news for latest news and media resources.

About Earth Hour

Earth Hour is WWF's global environmental movement. Born in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring individuals, communities, businesses and organizations in more than 170 countries and territories to take tangible climate action for over a decade. The movement recognizes the role of individuals in changing climate change and harnesses the collective power of its millions of supporters to shine a light on climate action.

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SOURCE MGM Resorts International