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MGM Grand Detroit, The Greening of Detroit and Local Community Leaders Break Ground for $1 Million Urban Greenhouse and Garden
8/5/2010
• MGM Grand Detroit investment valued at $1 million over the next five years
• The Grand Garden is part of MGM Grand Detroit’s commitment to the beautification of the City of Detroit
Detroit, Mich. —MGM Grand Detroit broke ground in July on the city’s first urban agriculture site downtown, the Grand Garden. MGM Grand Detroit’s investment in the project is valued at $1 million over the next five years.
The Grand Garden is a partnership between MGM Grand Detroit and The Greening of Detroit, a local nonprofit. The land, located walking distance from MGM Grand Detroit and roughly two acres in size, is a beautification project for the City of Detroit and will serve as a gateway to downtown Detroit and the Central Business District. The Grand Garden, which will be managed by The Greening of Detroit, will help the organization sustain itself through community development, education and training.
“MGM Grand Detroit is committed to supporting community development, education and the arts in the cities where it conducts business,” said Jeff Jackson, Director of Engineering for MGM Grand Detroit and the Grand Garden’s project lead. “Creating alliances and partnerships with key organizations such as The Greening of Detroit are instrumental in providing resources and opportunities to the metro-Detroit area and its citizens.”
The Grand Garden site will house a 60'x96' greenhouse that will include space where herbicide- and pesticide-free vegetable, flower, and other horticultural crops will be grown for on-site use or off-site sale and in-ground production of plants. Produce sales to local restaurants will be used to fund the site’s overall operation.
“The Greening of Detroit is honored to be in partnership with MGM Grand Detroit on this remarkable project,” said Rebecca Salminen Witt, president of The Greening of Detroit. “The Grand Garden will not only provide beauty to our downtown community, but foster The Greening of Detroit’s mission to guide and inspire others to create a 'greener' Detroit through planting and educational programs, environmental leadership, advocacy, and by building community capacity.”
The Grand Garden will eventually include a state-of the-art plant landscape, complete with an herb garden, perennial fruit garden and learning pavilions for future urban farmers.
The Grand Garden will be fully functional in 2011 and open throughout the year to local residents for educational tours and workshops provided by The Greening of Detroit. Seeds will be sown in late August upon completion of functional site operations, while harvests are planned to begin in the fall of 2010.
About MGM Grand Detroit
MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL (NYSE: MGM), one of the world's leading and most respected companies with significant holdings in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, owns and operates 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has 50% investments in four other properties in Nevada, Illinois and Macau. The Company's 50% economic interest in Borgata Hotel Casino Spa in Atlantic City, which is held in trust, is currently offered for sale. CityCenter, an unprecedented urban resort destination on the Las Vegas Strip featuring its centerpiece ARIA Resort & Casino, is a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World. Other major holdings include Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Luxor and Excalibur. MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL Hospitality has entered into management agreements for casino and non-casino resorts throughout the world. MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL supports responsible gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association's Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its properties. MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL has received numerous awards and recognitions for its industry-leading Diversity Initiative, its community philanthropy programs and the Company’s commitment to sustainable development and operations. For more information about MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL, please visit the Company's Web site at http://www.mgmresorts.com.
About The Greening of Detroit
Growing our Future: From Trees to Peas
Over 100 years ago, Detroit was honored as one of the country’s first “City of Trees.” It was recognized nationally for its tree-lined boulevards, lush parks, and wooded neighborhoods. Unfortunately, between 1950 and 1980 alone, half a million trees were lost to Dutch Elm disease, storm damage, urban expansion and neglect. During that same time period, economic constraints prohibited the City of Detroit from replacing these trees, leaving streets barren. In 1989, a group of committed business and community leaders founded The Greening of Detroit and began by focusing their efforts on tree planting projects and outreach programming. The Greening’s role expanded rapidly to meet the growing needs of the community, including extensive education programming, open space planning, urban gardening, technical assistance, and environmental advocacy. In 2006, The Greening of Detroit revised its mission statement to better reflect the breadth of its work, which now states: To guide and inspire the growth of a “greener” Detroit through planting and educational programs, environmental leadership, advocacy, and by building community capacity.