All language subtitles for Tomorrows.World.Today.S06E05.Desert.Oasis.1080p.WEB.h264-CBFM_track3_[eng]

[narrator]
On Tomorrow's World Today

we explore
the cutting-edge advances

that are shaping
four different worlds.

The world of inspiration,

where the wonders
of the natural world
amaze and inspire us.

The world of creation,

where ideas come to life
from traditional arts.

The world of innovation,

where ideas and inventions
move us all forward.

The world of production,

where innovations
are mass produced

to improve our lives.

From Inventionland
world headquarters,

here's your host
George Davison.

When we think
of a desert oasis,

we think of a place

that has clean water,
clean air,

and a space to relax.

The Las Vegas desert
is a different type of oasis.

It's known
for its bright lights

over-the-top entertainment
and endless possibilities.

But beyond the glitz
and glamour,

a pressing concern
to maintain an oasis

of clean air, clean water
and sustainable practices.

Luckily,
the entertainment capital
of the world

is taking great strides
toward sustainability

and recognizing the need
for change.

By understanding
the significance

of preserving resources,

they're creating
a sustainable environment

for both residents
and visitors alike.

Resorts are using innovative
water management systems

to filter and re-use water,

as well as intelligent
air filtration systems

to ensure that
the air we breathe

is free of impurities,
allergens and even odors.

So I'm gonna send Tamara
to the world of innovation

to explore how one hotel

balances luxurious experiences
with responsible practices

and is becoming
a highly sought-after,

eco-conscious
travel destination
for tomorrow's world.

[Tamara] In 1906,

a year after Las Vegas
was founded,

the Golden Gate
opened its doors

as a Hotel Nevada.

A small hotel
with a few gambling options.

The after the 1906
San Francisco earthquake,

it was renamed
as the Golden Gate Casino,

as a tribute
to the Golden Gate bridge.

As technology advanced,
so did its offerings.

Electric lights, ventilation,
steam heat radiators.

Then in 1907,

it became the first hotel
in Las Vegas

to have phones
inside the guest rooms.

And in 1970,

it welcomed
the very first escalators
to the city.

Fast forward to today
where as you know,

Las Vegas has become one
of the most popular

innovative
vacation destinations
in the country.

Today, I'll be talking
with Greg Stevens,

co-owner of Circa Hotel
and Casino

about all kinds
of sustainability initiatives
here in Las Vegas.

Greg, it is so nice
to meet you in person.

So nice to meet you
as well, Tamara.

Thank you for coming out.

Well, I appreciate you
taking the time to talk,

because I have
a lot of questions

about what it takes to make
a Las Vegas hotel and casino

both sustainable
and as successful.

That's fantastic.
I've got a great place
to start.

Welcome to Stadium Swim.

[Tamara] Oh, my.

This is amazing.

-I have never seen
anything like this.
-[Greg laughs]

[Tamara] You know,
if there's anything

that Vegas has become
synonymous with

aside from gambling,

its pool parties.

So tell me a little bit more
about how this came to be.

Yeah, so pool parties
have been in Las Vegas

for about 15 or 18 years now,

and they've largely kind of
been the same thing.

But we wanted
to kind of take it
to the next level

and come up
with a new concept here

with the green screens,
the clean water,

the great viewing angles.

[Tamara] Well,
clearly you've taken it
to the next level.

I mean,
looking at this screen,

I can totally picture
kicking back,

watching a game,

hanging out in the sunshine.

Which brings me
to your question,

how do you keep things
so clear out there?

This screen
is specifically designed
to be in the sun.

So it's got
little shutters on it,

they kind of actually
block the sun out
on every little pixel.

And it just makes
this 148 foot screen

that much clearer
in the sunshine.

You couldn't by any chance

help me get one of these
for my backyard, could you?

I know a guy.

-I thought you might.
-[Greg laughs]

I had another question.

These pools are so massive.

There are so many people here.

How do you keep it clean?

[Greg] Well, like most things.

There's a little magic there,

and I can show you
the secret sauce downstairs.

I love seeing
behind the scenes.

[Greg] Let's go check it out.

[Tamara] Okay, wait,
before we go,

I-- I have got to get a look
at this water.

-It is so clean and pretty.
-[Greg laughs]

[Greg] That's our goal.

We wanna make sure
our water is crystal clear

no matter how many people
are in the pool.

[Tamara]
How quickly does it take
to turn this all over?

[Greg] Uh, most pools
it takes a while.

But we actually filter
all this water
every 55 minutes.

-Wha-- What?
-Yep.

Okay, you need
to tell me more about how
you actually do that.

Let's go check it out.

So these pumps
are how we can change over
our water

as quickly as we do.

-Each one of these pumps
is 10 horsepower.
-Wow.

[Greg] They can move
500 gallons per minute.

[Tamara] That's really fast.

How many pumps
does each pool use?

So in the big pools,
we have two pumps.

We can move
a 1000 gallons a minute.

-[Tamara] Uh-huh?
-[Greg] And the smaller pools,

[Greg] we can get by
with just this one pump.

Very cool. Very, very cool.

All right,
what's the next step?

The next step
is over to the filters.

Okay, let's take a look.

[Tamara]
I'm at Circa Hotel and Casino
in Las Vegas,

exploring how their innovative
water purification system

and advanced
filtration technology

makes Stadium Swim
the cleanest pool
in Las Vegas.

-So this is the first step
in our filtering process.
-Yeah.

They very first thing we do

is we run all that water
we just talked about

through this glass bead
media filter.

-Uh-huh.
-And so this will filter out

[Greg] all the dust
and dirt and little particles

and even all the way down
to the size of little bacteria
or viruses.

[Tamara] You know,
it kind of reminds me
of when I was little

and used to make those like,
hollowed sand sculptures
with the layers.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

It's kind of the same idea.

Once it gets
a little bit clogged up,

we wanna go ahead
and flush this out.

-[Tamara] Yeah.
-[Greg] So we run a backwash,

[Greg] so it reverses the flow
so the water goes backwards
through the filter,

and then we take
that dirty water
and dump it down the drain.

Then one of the next steps
is we come over here.

This is our UVC light filter.

So this is something
a little bit extra.

Not every pool's
gonna have this.

But this makes sure

that every little
living organism in the water

is sanitized and cleaned out.

Well, in this case,

I am definitely in favor
of being a little bit extra.

[laughs] It is a little extra,
that's for sure.

I love the fact
that this filtration
and cleansing process

is used in so many
different kinds of science.

I mean,
from this light process

-to you know,
you've got physical filters.
-Yeah.

And then I know
we're gonna take a look
at some computer stuff, so.

Let's go take a look.

So this is where we monitor
the chemistry of the pool

twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week.

[Tamara]
And what should the levels be?

What should pH be at
for chlorine?

[Greg]
So pH should be about 7.4,

and the chlorine
we wanna have two
or three parts per million.

[Tamara] And how quickly
can the system respond

if you see
that something's off?

It's almost instantaneous.

As soon as the water
comes through here,

it recognizes it
and starts turning
the pumps on.

What kinds of things
will actually throw off
the levels?

Sun will chew up chlorine,

-just human bodies
in the pool...
-[Tamara] Yeah.

[Greg]
...and natural breakdown
of the borine.

So the more people
that are in the pool,

the more chlorine you need.

No matter how many people
are in the pool,

how big the party is,

this can keep track of it

and adjust it
almost instantly,

and that's how our water
is so crystal clear
all the time.

Seems like a perfect cocktail
of, uh, pool water.

That's right.

We filter it and we make sure
the chemistry is spot on

to make the best
pool cocktail.

What's the next step?

The next step,
we'll show you where the, uh,

the chlorine is pumped
into the pool.

-All right,
let's go take a look.
-Let's go check it out.

What am I surrounded by
in here?

[laughs] So this is
3000 gallons of chlorine

just up here on this floor

just to make sure
we have enough
at any given time.

And it's also a way for us
to bring it in in bulk.

Okay, so that's part
of your sustainability effort,
right?

Absolutely.

Less trucks on the road,
less diesel, less containers.

We could bring it in this way
the best we can.

And I would imagine
having it all on hand

allows you to react
in the moment,

like we were talking about.

The pools need
a little chlorine.

These pumps turn on

and they start
putting chlorine
right in the pool right away.

And that's how we're able
to keep the pool crystal clear

no matter how many people
are in the pool.

Very cool.

So, Tamara, I saw you eyeing
our slushie machines here.

Well, you gotta admit.

There's nothing
like a cool slushie
on a hot day.

That's very true.

And having a highly effective
refrigeration system

is really critical
in Las Vegas,

because the temperature
can be well over a 100 degrees
every day.

Yeah, so just how
do you keep these things cool

when it's that hot out?

I'm so glad you asked.
Let's go check it out.

Okay.

[Greg] So this is where
the magic happens

and how we keep
all of our refrigerators

and slush machines
and coolers cold.

This is our variable-speed
refrigeration system.

So wait.

So this is for everything
in the building?

This is for all 278 coolers,
refrigerators and freezers,
slush machines

all around the whole property.

[Tamara] I have to admit,

it's got a much smaller
footprint

than I would've expected

to take care
of that many things.

[Greg] That's true.

Normally, you would have
278 individual air cool units

at every refrigerator.

But with this,
we have variable speed
of compressors

that are very large

and they can supply
all the refrigerant
to the whole building.

Okay, I have another
cold question for you.

How do you actually keep
the casinos nice and chilling?

There's another piece
of that puzzle.

I'll show you that
in a few minutes.

-Okay.
-Let's go.

Oh, my God--
It is freezing in here.

[chuckles] This is an example
of one of those rooms.

Those refrigerators
I told you about

that's being powered
by the refrigeration plant
upstairs.

-Well, it is doing a very,
very good job.
-[both laugh]

How do you get all this beer
in here anyway?

[Greg] Well,
that's a good question too.

The beer is actually delivered
directly to this room

from our beer suppliers.

They come right down
the freight elevator,

directly right in here,

another little
efficiency thing.

You are a model of efficiency.

[laughs] Thank you very much,
that's the goal.

All right, now I wanna see
how you keep the casinos cool

and get out of here
'cause it's too cool.

-Let's go check that out.
-All right.

[Tamara] So we've talked a lot
about clean water.

I'm curious about clean air.

'Cause people spend
a lot of time here
in the casino.

Absolutely.

We wanna have the cleanest air
possible in the casino.

So how do you manage that?

We actually bring all the air
through the floor

up through these grates,

and then go straight up
through the ceiling

and out to the outside.

[Tamara] So it's being
kind of recycled through?

[Greg] No,
because of this method,

we're able to bring
all the air in

from the outside
of the building.

-On one side,
come through here...
-Mmm-hmm.

[Greg]
...give everybody fresh air,

distribute it
all over the floor,

then right back out
the other side
of the building.

[Tamara]
Oh, wow, how fast
does it cycle through?

[Greg] Every two minutes
and 47 seconds.

you get brand new air
from zero to seven feet.

You like to cycle things
through this building

very quickly, don't you?

-We do, we do.
-[Tamara laughs]

All right, I wanna know
about the delivery mechanism.

-Let's go check it out.
-Okay.

So Tamara,
you wanted to see how
the ductwork works

and how we get the air
through the building.

I could take you for a tour
through the ductworks

-but I think this is
probably a little bit easier.
-[Tamara chuckles]

I appreciate that, thank you.

All right,
so what am I looking at here?

So this kind of shows
how the outside air comes in

from outside of the building.

Brings it through
the heat exchanger,

that exchanges the heat
between the inside air
and the outside air.

And then it takes us over

to air conditioning system
and the-- the blowers

that take the air
right down to the floor.

And this is
actually that grate

that we were looking at
in the floor?

-That's right.
-Okay.

So across is actually up.

-[laughs]
-And then continuing up

and then this is the ceiling
where it goes through.

-That's right.
-Okay.

And then it comes on through,

and there's
the crisscross again,

-the heat exchange...
-Yep.

-...and then it heads on out.
-That's right.

That's how we get
a 100% fresh air.

Very cool.

Let's go take a look
at the equipment.

All right, great.
I like machines.

[Greg] So this is some
of that big equipment

that we use
to move all the air
through the building.

-Yeah.
Can I take a look inside?
-Let's check it out.

[machine whooshing]

Oh, wow, that is--
That is loud.

I can see how fast
that's moving.

So this is the way we bring it

from the outside
of the building.

Up through, we cool the air

and we bring it up
through the floor.

Then it gets exhausted
back out again.

[Tamara] How many of these
do you have?

We have about 16 of these
around the building.

I probably
should not lean in there
too far.

I don't wanna get sucked in.

It's like a tornado in there.

All-- All right,
let's get outta here

before something happens.

-[chuckles softly]
Sounds good.
-Okay.

Welcome to the chiller plant.

Yeah, it's a lot cooler
in here.

So these are some
of our hot water pumps.

This takes hot water
over to the building.

I took advantage of that
this morning.

[laughs] That's good.

And then these
are our chill water pumps.

So these take all
the cold water that we make
out here...

-[Tamara] Yeah.
-[Greg] ...over
to the building

[Greg] that we can use
for air conditioning,

and our refrigeration

and all the other stuff
that we've looked at.

Oh, very cool.

And what are these
over here?

So these are our chillers.

These are 3800 tons,
ceramic-bearing chillers.

-[Tamara] Uh-huh?
-[Greg] Uh, they're very,
very efficient.

[Greg] They can actually work
without the motor even running

on the cooler days outside.

[Tamara] Gotcha.

And so
when it's a 105 degrees out,

how does that process happen?

Great question.

So normally,
you're just sending heat
off to the air.

But we use condensing water
up to a cooling tower.

-And in Las Vegas,
the air's so dry...
-[Tamara] Mmm-hmm.

[Greg] ...that when
the water evaporates,

you just need a little bit
of water to evaporate.

It cools the rest of the water
that it's attached to.

And that brings
that water back here.

Today, about 70 degrees
even though it's 105 outside.

I like the way
that all of the elements
work together

to create
this little system for you.

[Greg] Absolutely.
Allows us to get
the building cold.

-[Tamara] Yeah.
-[Greg] And bringing this
all together

[Greg]
in all these efficiencies,

it all culminates
with the electrical system...

-Yeah.
-...and a much lower
electric bill.

-which I'll show you
in just a minute.
-Okay.

[Greg]
This is how we get electricity
up to our rooms

in the most efficient way
possible.

So what exactly
am I looking at here?

[Greg] So this is
a fault-managed power system,

otherwise known
as digital electricity.

[Tamara] How does it differ
from a traditional
or legacy system?

So traditional system,
you would have
a heavy conductor,

you'd have big wires,
you have a conduit,

-because it's dangerous...
-Yeah.

-...and you've gotta protect
all that stuff.
-Yeah. [laughs]

[Greg] This is actually
managed power.

So it can't shock you.

And so that way,
you don't have to use
a conduit.

You can use a tiny little wire
like this.

-So it really lowers
your carbon footprint...
-Mmm-hmm.

...by having less wire,
less conduit,

uh, less transformers
in the room.

It's just a much more
efficient way

and a lower carbon footprint
way of transmitting
electricity.

[Tamara] That's gotta be
really satisfying

as an engineer to see that
all come together.

[Greg] It's very satisfying,
for sure.

How much
does a building like this
usually use

and where are you guys at?

So a typical building our size

would probably be
about six megawatts of power
on an average day.

With all the things
we've done,

we brought that number
all the way down

to about three
to three and a half
megawatts.

That's what makes me feel good
at the end of the day.

I'm also guessing it lowers
your bills a little bit.

-It does do that as well.
-[laughs]

Well, you mentioned the rooms.

I would love to see some
of the sustainability efforts

that you've put
into effect there.

Absolutely,
we got a few more things
to go take a look at.

-Okay.
-Let's take a look.

Oh, wow,
check out this gorgeous view.

It is an incredible view

And it's a special little view
as well.

'Cause this isn't
any ordinary glass.

[Tamara] Oh, yeah?
Tell me about it.

Well, the glass is not only
energy efficient...

-Mmm-hmm.
-...but it's also some
of the quietest glass

[Greg]
you can get in the market.

[Tamara] So what is it
that contributes to that?

Is it the sand
the glass is made of?

Is it the thickness?

It's a little bit
of everything.

So it's the thickness
and the layers of glass

and the-- the gases
we have in between,

and also some
pretty special coatings
on the outside.

[Tamara] Well,
if I have learned anything

spending time with you
so far,

it's that you have systems
upon systems here.

And one of the things
I'm noticing looking around
this room

are the drapes.

So I'm guessing
that factors in?

That's right.

When we wanna keep
all the Las Vegas sun out,

whenever out guests
is not in the room

or the room's unoccupied,

we've got a very easy way
to just tap one little button,

and now we're blocking out
all of the sun's rays.

-[Tamara] Well,
that's nice and efficient.
- [Greg] It sure is.

It's impressive to see
how you here at Circa

have created
so many opportunities

for the guests to participate
in the sustainability process.

[Greg] For sure.

We want the guests
to be as comfortable
as possible,

but also have very easy access

to be as efficient
as possible.

I noticed that plaque
near the door,

the control panel
with the "hi" and the "bye"
to control the lights.

[Greg] Pretty sure.

Not only is it
a beautiful little panel,

it's very intuitive
for the guests
to make it very easy.

Yes, which is good
for somebody like me,

because I'm that person
who will have all my stuff,
I'll be ready to go,

and I'll look back,
I'll have forgotten
that light.

But I can just click on "bye"

and everything turns off
and I'm ready to go.

Right back
to the most efficient model
we have.

[Tamara] All right,
let's click and go.

[door closes]

Hey, Greg.

George, how are ya?

I'm great.

Welcome to Inventionland.

-Thanks for having me.
-You bet.

Well, Tamara had a great time
out there.

Thanks for taking care of her.

Oh, my pleasure.
We had a lot of fun.

-Is this your place?
-It is.

Circa Resort and Casino,
downtown Las Vegas.

Wow. What an accomplishment.

-Congratulations.
-Thank you very much.

[Greg] How about this pool?

She was going on and on
about that pool.

[Greg] Yeah,
that's Stadium Swim.

That's one
of our signature features
at Circa.

[chuckles] Oh, my God.

You can throw
a heck of a party.

-We sure could.
-[chuckles softly]

How did--
Does this have something
to do with that picture?

[Greg] It does.

I thought
this might be connected
to that pool.

-Is it?
-It sure is.

So we wanted to set
a new bar for our pools

and make sure
that water is clear
and clean all the time,

no matter how many people
are in the pool.

So how often does that water
turn over?

So normally in a regular pool,

it's about every eight hours.

We do it every 45
to 55 minutes.

In less than an hour,

all that water's
cleaned again?

With these big pumps
and big filters and UV lights,

that allows us to get all
that water filtered through

in that super-fast fashion.

So that water is crystal clear
no matter how many people
are in the pool.

That's amazing.

How about--
How about this picture?

So just like the pool water,

we wanna make sure
that our air in the casino
is just as clean.

You know,
people like to have
a cigar over sometimes...

And there's, you know,
a lot of people in there,

it's gonna be some heat
in the casino.

-Right.
-But we thought

to make sure
that all goes up and away

we're gonna bring the air in
from the floor...

-Okay?
-...so that way the air
from the floor to seven feet

is brand new
every two minutes
and 47 seconds.

That's a great idea,
bring it up from the bottom.

The air and the smoke
wants to just rise right up
and go right out.

So it's more efficient
to just let it do
what it wants to do.

So what's the story
with this picture, Greg?

Is that where I'd be staying
if I went out there?

It sure is,
that could be your room.

Wow, it's beautiful.

Now, Tamara told me

there's a lot
of sustainability
going on in that room.

There is,

we've hidden a lot
of sustainability things
in that room.

And, uh,
probably one of the biggest
is the glass.

Because you know,
we wanna keep that Las Vegas
heat on that outside

and keep it nice and cool
on the inside.

So there's all kinds
of special coatings

and lot of insulation
in that glass alone.

Uh, in addition to that,

we also have drapes
that can automatically close.

And using
the digital electricity
that I showed Tamara,

you can push one little button

and it can shut
the whole room down

and put it
in the most eco-friendly mode
possible.

I like it, that it's eco.
All right.

Well, I'm coming out.

Sounds good,
I can't wait to see ya.

You too.