A concerted, collaborative effort has turned empty land at Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport (SFM) in rural Maine into a privately financed 50-megawatt solar farm. The $120 million array, which went live in November 2020, is one of the largest airport-based solar energy farms in the United States, as measured by annual megawatt, alternating current (MWac) production.
The recent rehabilitation of an aging levee will help protect Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) from flooding for decades to come. In the meantime, the $22 million project also offers a valuable lesson about the benefits of planning ahead.
Amid all the turmoil that COVID-19 has wrought, the only public airport on the small island of Nantucket, MA, is taking on a big issue: potential environmental contamination associated with common components in FAA-mandated firefighting foam.
As U.S. airports prepare to turn the corner on the pandemic and the harsh winter of 2020-2021, some still face a significant long-term challenge: the rise in sea levels resulting from climate change. Although the biggest risk is to airports located along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, experts predict secondary effects for inland airports as well.
San Diego International Airport (SAN) recently raised its lofty sustainability bar a few notches higher by adding a new, award-winning element to its stormwater management system. The $38 million project, completed in November 2020, features a large concrete cistern that collects runoff from the northside airfield.
The Ocean City, NJ, area is known for beaches, boardwalks and unspoiled hiking areas. But some of the very features that make it attractive for tourists and outdoor enthusiasts make it difficult for the local general aviation airport. Located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Great Egg Harbor Bay, Ocean City Municipal (26N) is prone to erosion problems from high tides and safety hazards from birds.
Building the world's largest airport-based solar farm doesn't come without challenges. But the team developing the new 320-acre, 42-megawatt (MWac) solar farm at Tallahassee International Airport (TLH) prevailed'and also shattered previous records for renewable energy production for airport sited solar farms. When the new facility became operational in January 2020, it joined TLH's other solar farm that came online in 2018. Together, the two solar farms span 400 acres and produce 62 MWac per year, vaulting the Florida airport well ahead of other industry standouts.
Travelers have their minds on many things, but separating their trash and recyclables is not always among them. To get more customers participating in its recycling program, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is trying to make the process almost automatic.
Commercial growth, safe aircraft operations and environmental sensitivity go hand-in-hand at Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) on Florida's Gulf Coast. Toward that end, the airport's 2018 master plan update dovetails with its wildlife hazard management program. A big part of the equation is environmental stewardship and managing wildlife hazards to enhance airfield safety.
Over the last two years, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) has transformed its lush green landscape into an eye-catching desert environment that requires less water and reflects the region's natural beauty. The move from grass and deciduous shrubs to rocks and native flora is expected to reduce the Arizona airport's annual water usage by 5.375 million gallons and save about $425,000 per year.
Weather in the Midwest may be unpredictable, but the commitment to environmental safety at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is not. The evolving Midwestern airport is proactively tackling airfield challenges with a duo of environmentally friendly products - a liquid concentrate that reduces silica exposure from pavement dust, and a deicing fluid that minimizes harmful effects to the nearby ecosystem.
In 2016, dozens of U.S. communities were hit with alarming news: Harmful chemicals from a large family of man-made compounds known as PFAS (short for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) had been found in their drinking water. In fact, a nationwide groundwater study detected PFAS-contaminated drinking water in 43 states.
