Why the lights are going out at the Sky Tower

Casino and hospitality operator SkyCity Entertainment Group has been certified carbon neutral, and as part of its greening plans will temporarily switch off the lights of the Sky Tower.

The company has paid $86,000 to offset the equivalent of 12,866 tonnes of carbon from its Auckland, Hamilton and Queenstown businesses, and says it is committed to running a greener operation.

Its Adelaide business will be certified carbon neutral next year.

As part of its carbon-neutral plans, the external lights of Auckland’s Sky Tower, home to three SkyCity restaurants, a cafe and radio transmitters for the city, will be switched off for two months from today to replace existing lights with LED bulbs. The lights will be back on in time for Christmas.

SkyCity says switching the bulbs will reduce its energy consumption by 10 per cent.

The tower is also being assessed by the New Zealand Green Building Council for a green-star rating.

SkyCity says it has cut its gas, fuel and electricity emissions by 13 per cent over the past year, and aims to cut emissions by 38 per cent by 2030.

“Going neutral says we’ve done something now whilst we get on with the task of reducing emissions,” chief executive Graeme Stephens said.

To offset its carbon footprint, SkyCity bought carbon credits through Enviro-Mark Solutions and will pay a $25 internal levy on every tonne of carbon it emits, which will go into its Green Fund.

Over the past year SkyCity has started changing the way it operates to meet its emission reduction targets across the business, Stephens said.

Changes include swapping plastic straws for plant-based alternatives, upgrading its air conditioning units, offering beer and wine on tap in its restaurants, and finding ways to reuse or repurpose leftover food.

The company says it has reduced the amount of waste it sends to landfill by 21 per cent, including 314 tonnes of food waste which has been commercially composted.

In 2018, SkyCity became a signatory of the Climate Leaders Coalition, joining Air NZ, ANZ, DB Breweries, ANZCO Foods, Auckland Airport and Foodstuffs, among others, to agree to combat climate change.

Dr Chris Galloway, marketing and reputation expert at Massey University, said it was common for large firms to pay to offset emissions.

“It’s part of companies of all kinds and sizes recognising that they need to increasingly demonstrate some kind of social responsibility,” he said.

“SkyCity in the minds of some people is associated with gambling which is associated with negative effects, such as problem gambling. I imagine one of the things in senior management’s mind at SkyCity might be that this is one way of establishing legitimacy in the minds of some of these people that have doubts.”