Faculty-backed organization greening Vegas

If there is a silver lining in Las Vegas’ economic downturn, perhaps it’s that the recession has forced individuals and businesses to rethink how they handle their resources. One eco-friendly organization has caught the attention of UNLV department figureheads who are aiming to conserve resources here in Las Vegas.

“Part of the goal now is to train people how to repurpose material,” said Curtis Love, associate director of graduate studies for UNLV’s tourism and convention department.

“It’s all about taking stuff that would normally go to the landfill and finding a new use for it,” Love said, speaking about his newly formed alliance with Greener Vegas.

Greener Vegas is a grassroots organization that works within the convention industry to reduce waste by retooling the material that can’t be recycled from convention left overs.

When UNLV architectural students need material for models or senior citizens need fans to combat the heat, Greener Vegas is able to supply them for free.

But the organization itself, as with any other business, is not free to run.

There are overhead costs, like the cost of their 7,000 square foot warehouse needed to store all of the discarded material until a use can be found for it. Transporting the material costs money as well. Financing, Delbex admits, is the biggest challenge. Most of the money so far has come out of his own pockets.

“The bottom line payback isn’t always money. Right now, I get paid in karma,” Delbex said.

Last year, more than 300 graduate students in the hotel and hospitality field gathered at UNLV for a conference. Greener Vegas was there to supply them with much needed materials, thus saving the college money and saving the material from the landfill.

While Love and Delbex both envision a bigger operation in the future, Delbex asks one question: “Everybody loves what we’re doing, but how do we pay for it?”

Delbex is looking into grant stimulus to help fund and grow the business.

He hopes Greener Vegas will eventually become an official convention center service and set a new standard within the industry itself.

Love envisions expanding the organization internationally by finding a partner with a large enough distribution system.

Currently, Greener Vegas is working with UNLV’s meeting and event majors to host a Halloween parade in the downtown district. The planning process is already under way and Greener Vegas has started hosting free artist workshops to get ready for the parade.

The first work shop, held on Aug. 18, centered on plans for creating puppets out of some of the collected material.

The goal is to create an off-Strip alternative for those downtown-inclined people who love Halloween and art.

“Most of the resources go into the artistic community so it gives us a chance to show what we’ve done,” said Zach Delbex, founder of Greener Vegas.

Essentially, he is connecting the dots between the collected material and the people who can use the material.

And the partnership between UNLV and Greener Vegas promises to be a fruitful one.

Delbex first saw the need for the organization while working within the convention industry. His passion and vision was such that he moved his parents to Las Vegas to help run the business.

And Love now serves on the board of directors for the Greener Vegas 501(c)3 nonprofit.

“Other cities are doing it. If you look at conventions in cities like Toronto or at the David L. Lawrence Center in Pittsburgh, they’re way ahead,” Love said. “We should be leading the pack, not following the herd.”

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