b'70 INDUSTRY INSIDERSustainably YoursKermit was rightits not easywhen recycling items such as pallets being green. We were seeing theand composting organic products in anCarol Lurie, AICP, first signs of the impacts of climateairport setting. And then there was theLEED AP, ENV SP, change when I gave an address at thetime we explored airside at Salt Lakeserved as VHBsAirport Sustainability AAAE/ACC Airport Planning and DesignInternational and learned how the airportlead for more thanSymposium in early 2004. My goal wasminimized emissions from truck trips35 years. She chaired to communicate the growing importanceduring construction by keeping demolitionthe Airport Consultants Council, served of sustainability in the aviation industry.materials on site in carefully categorizedon the ACI- Environmental Affairs The audience was polite but not did notpiles awaiting reuse. The resulting airportSteering Committee for many years, see it as a call to action. Twenty yearssustainability management plans laid theand participated in AAAE and TRB later, one cannot read a magazine or listengroundwork for airports to prepare for thecommittees. Lurie helped developto a news report when climate changeimpacts of climate change and become17 airport sustainability plans and served and sustainability are not featured. Themore resilient.as a principal investigator and contributor issues are especially pressing for airporton several ACRP publications about Fast forward a decade, and manysustainability. operators, airlines and the traveling public.airports are focusing their sustainability With my new moniker of on-callefforts on reducing greenhouse gas aviation consultant, Ive been reflecting(GHG) emissions, the other side of climatesustainability and launched the Net Zero just how far our industry has come andchange coin. No longer is it enough toHero program, which allows airport staff how lucky Ive been to be at the forefrontbe sustainable; airports are signing onto recognize the green efforts of their of the movementfrom brainstormingto ACIs Airport Carbon Accreditationcolleagues. with the ACI-NA Environmental AffairsProgram to publicly declare their pledgeAirports have an opportunity to make Committee as we crafted the industryto reduce GHGs through both bold anda major contribution in tackling the definition of Airport Sustainability, tomodest sustainability initiatives. Airportsclimate challenge of our generation, working closely with other consultants andacross the nation, and indeed the world,so its gratifying to see sustainability, airport representatives to compile a list ofare making commitments to reduce theirresilience and GHG reduction becoming hundreds of proven sustainability initiativesGHG/carbon emissions to net zero formainstream topics in our industry. for the Sustainable Aviation Guidanceactivities under their control.Aviations premier sustainability Alliance (SAGA) resource. A real highlightIm part of the team implementing theconference, Airports Going Green, is was preparing the first sustainabilityNet Zero Greenhouse Gas Roadmapno longer just attended by airport staff, management plans for Northeast Floridafor a major East Coast airport. Weveenvironmental consultants and regulators. Regional Airport and Ithaca-Tompkinsmet with more than 30 departmentsIts now a showcase of energy-efficient Regional Airport, which became theto make the Net Zero goal vivid andHVAC suppliers, renewable energy role models for the FAAs Sustainabilityreal for individuals in their daily work.providers and electric vehicle vendorsManagement Plan funding programmingIve been struck by how informed andevidence that airports are seen as in 2010. More than 44 airports preparedpassionate many airport staff are onleaders in the field and great test beds these plans, and I was honored to bethe topica far cry from the early daysfor innovation. I am hopeful that soon involved with almost half of them.when being green or sustainable waswe will see deployment of sustainable Many of the efforts we undertook whileseen as an unnecessary added cost.aviation fuel across North America, and preparing those plans remain etchedWhile we promoted the importance ofthe renewable energy industry will find in my memory. I recall the major wasteencouraging the use of electric vehiclescreative solutions to power all those audit (fondly known as dumpster diving)by passengers and rideshare services, wevehicles and equipment we are converting we held at Boston Logan Internationallearned from the Airport Fire Departmentto electricity. Airport, when staff courageously pickedabout preparing for the potential fireThe next grand new innovation is through trash collected from terminalshazards of storing electric vehicles andjust around the corner. I am grateful to and offices, grimaces on faces as theybikes indoors. You should have heard thehave been present at the very start of weighed and categorized the airportswhoops as operations staff proudly tookour industrys green transformation and waste stream. As smelly and unpleasantus for a super-fast ride in a new electriclook forward to the progress the next as that task was, it helped us garnerFord 150 truck that accelerated from 0 togeneration of airport professionals will an understanding of the challenges60 mph in mere seconds! We developeddazzle us with. operators and concessionaires facean internal educational curriculum about November | December 2024AirportImprovement.com'