This past Saturday, June 21, the eve of summer solstice, ABSOLUT Vodka and Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino turned off the lights at 9:30 p.m. for 60 seconds during the Outernational Music Festival featuring Gnarls Barkley, Thievery Corporation and special guest Bebel Gilberto. All marquees at Mandalay Bay, including all concert lights, shut down for one minute.
Kicking off a series of “Lights Out” bar promotions across the country, Lights Out Las Vegas was a symbolic gesture to call attention to the vision that “In An ABSOLUT World, if every consumer committed to turning off their lights, the effects of global warming could be reduced and the planet would literally be a cooler place.”
Following Lights Out Las Vegas, ABSOLUT will continue its series of “Lights Out” parties in bars and nightclubs across the country from July through September. At these events, ABSOLUT will invite consumers to take an active role in their commitment to the environment by seeing first hand how alternative sources of energy can turn the lights out on global warming.By visiting the Global Cooling stations during the bar promotions, consumers can compete to produce energy through human-powered generators and bicycles. At the end of the evening, ABSOLUT will turn the lights off at each participating venue for five minutes, which will reveal to bar patrons if they have generated enough “heat” to keep the party going. If enough energy is created, a six-foot replica of an ABSOLUT bottle will be fully lit ““ demonstrating their “cool” contribution to the lights out initiative.
ABSOLUT Vodka one of the first companies in the spirits industry to introduce carbon offsetting as part of its environmental work, and since 2003, has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent (per liter vodka). Today, ABSOLUT has one of the world’s most energy-efficient distilleries, decreasing its use of energy by 30 percent through a very high level of energy recovery and reducing its use of fossil fuel.
Every bottle of ABSOLUT VODKA is made of 100 percent concept cultivated wheat, which minimizes nitrogen leaching and reduces use of chemical pesticides. ABSOLUT strives to optimize its use of natural resources, and to choose eco-friendly alternatives as much as possible. As an example, the ABSOLUT bottle is made of 43 percent recycled glass. ABSOLUT is determined to continuously reduce packaging, increase the re-use of transport packaging and improve waste separation at source, and to find a market for waste products.