Atlantic City, NJ – The Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ) is proud to share its members’ ongoing commitment to a greener community this Earth Day and throughout the year. Atlantic City casinos partner with many local organizations that work toward environmental sustainability to preserve and protect the local ecosystems that makes Atlantic City a thriving oceanfront resort destination.
“The New Jersey casino industry is committed to creating a more sustainable, eco-friendly world,” said George Goldhoff, president, Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ). One of the biggest draws of Atlantic City casinos is their oceanfront location, and it is crucial that we protect those natural resources for many generations to come. “Through both smaller local efforts and larger industry-wide changes, CANJ members are working to preserve our environment for future generations.”
A successful ongoing sustainability initiative is the New Jersey Shell Recycling Program, which collects discarded oyster shells from restaurants and uses them to restore oyster habitats in the Mullica River. Hard Rock Atlantic City is one of the organization’s founding members, and several properties also actively participate in the program.
“The Shell recycling program is a powerful example of how collaboration between our industry and local partners can make a lasting impact,” said Goldhoff. “By repurposing shells that would’ve been otherwise tossed in the trash, our members are helping to strengthen coastal ecosystems while supporting a more sustainable future for our region.”
Below is a sampling of sustainability efforts implemented by the Atlantic City casino industry:
Caesars Entertainment’s Atlantic City Resorts:
Beach Clean Up – June 3
As part of our CodeGreen initiative, Caesars, Harrah’s Resort and Tropicana Atlantic City’s Team Members will host a beach cleanup on Wednesday, June 3 from 1-3 p.m. in front of Caesars.
National Park Trust
This year, through the Caesars Foundation, Caesars, Harrah’s Resort and Tropicana Atlantic City collaborated with the National Park Trust for the Buddy Bison Carbon Reduction Contest program. Together, Caesars and the National Park Trust inspired 5th-grade students from the Richmond Avenue School to reduce their carbon footprint through initiatives like recycling and water conservation, fostering awareness of impactful measures against climate change. From November – February, the students competed against 2 other schools from California and Missouri, finishing in first place for the 2025-2026. As a result, the Richmond Avenue School 5th graders reduced their carbon footprint by 5,070 pounds of CO2 – the equivalent of planting 230 trees. The students also saved 3,748 gallons of water and 231 pounds of trash from entering a landfill.
To further celebrate their achievement and deepen their connection to environmental stewardship, Caesars volunteers will accompany the Richmond Avenue School students for a day in nature at Estell Manor Park. This immersive experience will give students the opportunity to explore local ecosystems, learn firsthand about conservation, and see the real-world impact of protecting natural spaces, reinforcing the lessons they embraced throughout the program.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
Earth Hour 2026
On March 28th, as part of Hard Rock International’s “Save the Planet” motto and program Hard Rock Atlantic City is supporting the annual Earth Hour movement. During this event the resort will “go dark” in specific areas for 60 minutes. Included in this special evening is a candlelight dinner at Kuro, the resort’s award-winning Japanese craft kitchen.
Food & Beverage Specials
In addition to the candlelit dinner at Kuro on March 28, the resort will offer limited-time cocktails and specials with proceeds benefiting the Save the Planet Initiative. Kuro and Council Oak Steaks & Seafood will offer $16 glasses of Ruffino Organic Prosecco. A refreshing Go Green Cucumber Martini made with Organic Belvedere Vodka will be available for $20 at Kuro, Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, Lobby Bar, Center Bar and YOUYU. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, New Jersey.
Marine Mammal Stranding Center
Throughout the month of April, Hard Rock Atlantic City team members will be raising funds for the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. As the only seal hospital in the state, the organization is responsible for all 1,800 miles of the New Jersey tidal coastline and waterways. Funds raised by Hard Rock Atlantic City will be put towards the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine mammals and sea turtles.
Boys & Girls Club Garden in Partnership with Reed’s Farm
On April 16, Hard Rock Atlantic City team members will volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City to tend to their thriving gardens. Fruits and vegetables grown in the garden space, which have been carefully curated through a partnership with A Meaningful Purpose at Reed’s Farm, are used directly in the teen center’s kitchen and help teach hospitality students valuable job skills while feeding Boys and Girls Club participants.
In its second year, the resorts commitment to A Meaningful Purpose at Reed’s Farm has allowed the organization to partner with members of the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City who are on the Hospitality Track. The program allows students to gain hands-on experience in gardening, nutrition, and basic culinary skills. Additionally, the group cultivates and maintains the Boys & Girls Club Garden in Atlantic City which grows produce that is used in the Teen Center kitchen, helping provide fresh, nourishing meals for club kids across all three Atlantic City locations.
New Jersey Marine Resources Administration Shell Recycling Program
As one of the organization’s founding members, Hard Rock Atlantic City will continue to contribute to the New Jersey Shell Recycling Program, which collects more than 100 metric tons of discarded oyster shells annually. Rather than ending up in landfills, the shells are cleaned and reused to maintain local oyster populations.
Ocean Casino Resort
- Ocean will be installing an additional 10 EV charging stations on the 4th floor of our parking garage, for a total of 20 stations.
- Ocean has partnered with Giordano’s in Vineland to lower its waste impact on the environment by utilizing their first-in-class recycling programs.
- Ocean is making a donation to C.R.O.P.S (Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces) in Atlantic City to support its programs of cultivating fresh produce, ensuring access to nutritious food, providing educational programming and advocating for sustainable food systems and collaborative solutions.
- Ocean distributed seed packets of wildflowers to its team members on Earth Day to promote pollinator-friendly planting.
- Ocean is committed to reducing food waste by recycling our kitchen grease with Kraly farms, effectively lowering methane and greenhouse gas emissions, saving landfill space and decreasing trash disposal fees.
- Ocean has converted various aspects of its property to LED lighting, including customer parking garage, front and back of house and hotel tower and guestrooms.
- All hotel guest rooms at Ocean are equipped with a Hotel Tech Thermostat with smart motion sensors built in to detect action in the room, maximizing energy conservation in unoccupied rooms.
Resorts Casino Hotel
Cooling Tower Replacement Project
Resorts is replacing five 40-year-old cooling towers from the center roof with a brand-new energy efficient system. The new system will improve energy efficiency by maintaining cooling and refrigeration throughout the property with usage-based demand. Enhanced energy efficiency and modernized technology to reduce environmental impact are other advantages of the new cooling towers.
Facilities Programs
A Water Conservation & Drought Management Plan was drafted in early 2024 to ensure aquifer sustainability by detailing our yearly water consumption and forecasting future water demands.
A LED Fixture Retrofit Program has been implemented to replace halogen, high pressure sodium and fluorescent fittings. Replacing these large draw fixtures with LEDs drastically lowers our electric consumption.
Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) are being installed on large electrical motors to govern speeds based on demands rather than continuously operating at 100%, thus reducing electric consumption.
Closely work with contractor, “Clean Earth,” to make sure all our electronic waste (batteries, caustic chemicals, paints, fluorescent bulbs and aerosols) is properly sorted and disposed of, eliminating the potential of harmful contaminants making their way into landfills.
Kitchen Programs
Discarded oyster shells from our restaurants are collected by the NJDEP Shell Recycling Program. The shells are planted on seed beds in the Mullica River increasing the potential for oyster settlement, water filtration and fish habitat availability. The kitchen at Resorts recycles glass, cardboard and cooking oil. The kitchen also donates food scraps to a pig farm in North Jersey.
Hotel/EVS Programs
Hotel key cards are reused. The department recycles their glass and cardboard. They also use refillable cleaning bottles.
There are two EV Charging stations on the surface parking lot.
Installation of bulk amenities in each guest room to eliminate the waste associated with single use bottles and to reduce waste and promote sustainability.
Hotel linens are changed in occupied guest rooms every other day after check-in to save on water consumption.
Damaged hotel linens are upcycled to a company which turns them into rags.
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