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Turtle Creek, near Traverse City, bills itself a "green" casino, designed to make the lightest possible footprint on the landscape without sacrificing profitability. Tax incentives and grants can significantly reduce building costs and many green techniques such as using solar panels and water recycling systems can pay for themselves over time.

The day-to-day operations of casinos (such as keeping all those slot machines whirling) consume huge amounts of energy, especially in Las Vegas where air conditioning enormous buildings is a necessity.

In April, the Palazzo Las Vegas resort became the world's largest building project to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certificate from the U.S. Green Building Council. CityCenter, a resort complex under construction in Las Vegas, is among at least 10 casino-related projects nationwide seeking certification.

This was followed by the City Center Las Vegas project which received the LEED certificate as well when construction was completed in 2010.

Las Vegas as a whole is surprisingly green as well, with incentives for homeowners to incorporate native plants into their landscaping instead of grass and other water saving initiatives.

This trend is reaching all major casinos in Las Vegas, long criticized by environmentalists for their extravagant use of natural resources.

Being green and energy efficient will eventually produce profits for casinos in addition to the normal casino games, as even just cutting energy costs by 1-2% per year can result in millions of dollars in extra profits each year.

The sustainability mind-set is affecting all kinds of choices, including what places you want to visit for entertainment.