Las Vegas, Environmentalist Mecca?

OK, I'm sure to come under a bit of mockery for my piece today in USA Today. Already, the USAT message boards are overflowing with commentary about how Vegas can never been seen as environmentally sensitive because its very existence defies the laws of the environment.

It wasn't my intention to claim that this is the center of sustainability. But it is instructional that these massive resorts are doing all of these things to become LEED-certified, albeit my discussion of their financial benefits thanks to huge state tax breaks was curtailed.

Bottom line is that all of this green building is going on where you'd absolutely least expect it. And the LEED people themselves see a greater good in being able to say, "If a Vegas resort can do it, so can you" to the rest of corporate America.