Green Initiatives
The CT Lottery is pitching in to do our part to be "environmentally proactive" and save money. In December 2002, the CT Lottery launched an effort to clean used scratch ticket dispensers versus purchasing new ones. This effort was not only the environmentally responsible thing to do, but also has saved more than $600,000 to date.
The CT Lottery has also taken advantage of a pallet recycling program that recycles worn wood pallets into a finished pallet through a repair process. Pallets are then remanufactured into standard or customized sizes and supplied back into the distribution chain. This cost-saving measure has saved the State approximately $1,200 per month since its origin.
In addition, the CT Lottery also participated in the "Plant a Tree for Me" program through Dell. Plant a Tree donations help offset the estimated average carbon produced from the electricity to power electronics during average product lifetime.
In an effort to protect water quality, the CT Lottery added a rain garden at our headquarters in 2008. A rain garden is a natural or dug shallow depression designed to capture and soak up stormwater runoff from roofs, driveways, walkways, etc. Stormwater is considered one of the main sources of water pollution nationwide. A rain garden allows the runoff generated on the property to infiltrate into the ground and reduce potential water quality problems.
The CT Lottery's most recent environmental initiative included converting all parking lot light bulbs to LED bulbs. The estimated annual savings in usage is expected to be 49,884 kilowatt-hours. The life expectancy of the LED bulbs is 60,000 hours, which equates to 16-plus years before the bulbs require replacement, given the CT Lottery's current consumption.
The CT Lottery continues to look at every opportunity to improve our environment. Simultaneously, the CT Lottery also seeks new ways to reduce expenses so that more money can be contributed to the valuable services and programs supported by the state’s General Fund. As a part of our ongoing mission, the following items are used daily in an effort to do all that we can to preserve our environment.
- Recycled paper packing envelopes
- Recycled paper
- Recycled paper for printing instant tickets
- Eco-friendly, biodegradable plates, beverage cups and cutlery
- Biodegradable binders
- Eco-friendly hand soap
- Environmentally safe cleaning products
- Document shredding serivce to conserve landfill space
- High efficiency fluorescent lamps and LED lights
- Recyclable winner bags
The CT Lottery is committed to doing all that we can to protect and preserve of our environment. We believe that it not only makes sense...but it is also saving us a few "cents" along the way.
