Sustainability
3 Creating greater airport facility efficiencies through sustainability
Jim Grant — Sustainable Energy and Utilities Director | HNTB Corporation
Caroline Pinegar — Senior Project Manager, Aviation and Environmental Planning | HNTB
5 Sustainability from the start
BJ Carpenter — Airport Environment and Sustainability Officer | Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
7 Sustainability as a Guiding Principle
Scott Morrissey — Senior Vice President for Sustainability | Denver International Airport
9 A mission centered on bold climate action
Erin Cooke — Sustainability and Environmental Policy Director | San Francisco International Airport
Aviation Insight is published by HNTB Corporation. HNTB is an infrastructure solutions firm providing award-winning planning, design, program management and construction management services. Please direct all questions or comments about Aviation Insight to corporatecommunications@hntb.com.
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Creating greater airport facility efficiencies through sustainability
How airports are incorporating sustainability and mitigating environmental impacts through strategic planning and innovative technologies
Jim Grant — Sustainable Energy and Utilities Director | HNTB
Caroline Pinegar — Senior Project Manager, Aviation and Environmental Planning | HNTB
As airports expand to meet growing air travel demand, the need for sustainable facilities continues to increase. To address this, airports are incorporating sustainability into the design, construction and operation of facilities to reduce carbon footprints and address evolving risks around weather-related events, while also enhancing operational efficiency and meeting rising expectations from environmentally conscious travelers. Because sustainable infrastructure requires less maintenance and less energy, the industry is realizing cost savings for the long term.
To reach sustainability goals, airports are incorporating everything from energy conservation and carbon mitigation strategies to evaluations on how climate and weather-related event variability will continue to affect the health and well-being of nearby communities.
Sustainability in practice
Sustainable airport facilities are achieved through comprehensive programs that seek to improve energy efficiency, mitigate waste and reduce emissions. Through proactive planning and leveraging innovative technologies, the industry is driving toward a more sustainable future.
Energy Efficiency: By developing on-site renewable energy sources and managing energy more effectively, airports are working to significantly reduce their reliance on external fuel supplies. For example, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is installing 55 megawatts of solar power across its campus to generate clean energy and cut down on overall energy consumption. Additionally, battery energy storage systems are being considered to capture and store excess energy from renewable sources for future use.
Implementing energy-efficient infrastructure, such as LED lighting, further limits energy usage. Upgrading and retrofitting existing building components, including lighting and HVAC systems, also is an area where airports are making a considerably positive impact. Since 2015, Denver International Airport has saved 7.9 million kilowatt hours per year by adopting energy-efficient lighting technologies.
Waste Reduction: Comprehensive waste reduction strategies, including recycling programs, composting and initiatives to minimize single-use plastics, are critical for airports aiming to minimize climate impacts. SFO achieved a 60% waste diversion rate through its aggressive recycling and composting programs, significantly reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills. A thorough analysis of all resources that travel through a terminal and where they end up, is an important step in managing waste reduction.
Carbon Emission Reduction: By converting ground transportation fleets to all-electric and developing campus-wide electric vehicle charging infrastructure, airports are reducing emissions and improving the environment for people in nearby communities. For example, SFO converted buses that carry passengers to long-term parking from diesel to electric, moving the airport closer to its zero-carbon goal. Leveraging electric energy sources, when coupled with intentional partnerships with vendors and consultants that share a commitment to sustainability, can measurably reduce emissions in a terminal.
Maximizing value
Airports are finding ways to maximize the value of their sustainability priorities, not only by incorporating innovative practices, but also through a focus on proactive planning to ensure that sustainability is at the forefront of their decisionmaking process.
• Incorporating sustainability at the outset. Early and consistent integration of sustainability practices ensures that they become a core component of the project. This proactive approach allows for the seamless incorporation of sustainable measures, resulting in more meaningful and cost-effective outcomes. For example, airports are implementing measures that support sustainability experts engaging with all other divisions in the airport, so all design, construction and operational decisions are made with a sustainability emphasis.
• Considering lifecycle costs. Upfront costs for sustainability and resiliency features may be higher, but over time, the total organizational costs can be much lower. Proactively developing an analysis of the long-term cost-savings at the outset of the project is crucial for obtaining buyin from airport leadership, the public and local policymakers. By demonstrating the long-term financial benefits and cost savings associated with sustainable technologies, aviation facilities can build a compelling case for investment.
• Collecting data. Continuous data collection set against baseline figures allow airports to adjust goals or techniques as necessary and report back to airport leadership and policymakers on progress toward fulfilling commitments. This process also can help airports identify projects and facilities that lead to the highest emissions, driving future strategies for mitigation. Ratings systems, such as Envision or LEED provide important guidance on sustainability metrics and how airports can meet them.
Advancements in technology
The future of sustainability at airports will continue to evolve as new and innovative technologies become available. Airports are increasingly investing in microgrids, or localized power grids, to reduce transmission loss, enhance energy management systems and provide backup power during outages, ensuring continuous operation of critical airport functions.
Innovative water management practices, such as the use of recycled water for non-potable applications, are becoming more prevalent. Airports are implementing the use of treated wastewater for cooling towers and restroom facilities, significantly reducing potable water consumption and saving millions of gallons of water annually.
As the aviation industry moves toward electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, airports are developing the necessary infrastructure to support these innovations. This includes installing charging stations and upgrading facilities to accommodate new energy sources, thereby supporting the growing fleet of electric ground support equipment and preparing for future advancements in aircraft technology.
A changing landscape
The aviation industry is making remarkable progress in sustainability, driven by innovative programs, advanced technologies and a commitment to environmental stewardship. These programs are improving operational efficiency, while mitigating emissions and improving the environment for nearby communities. Through proactive planning and an openness to new technologies, we can continue to drive airport infrastructure toward ambitious sustainability goals.
Sustainability from the start
How Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s legacy of sustainability continues to grow
BJ Carpenter — Airport Environment and Sustainability Officer Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Airports around the country are using innovative methods to incorporate sustainability throughout their operations. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) has been reducing its environmental impact by using alternative fuels, reducing electric and water consumption, diverting waste and building with recycled materials.
Our commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship began with the airport’s construction. Opened 25 years ago, AUS was the first commercial airport constructed under the Federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The city converted a closed air base into a new, international airport. The reuse of materials was a major consideration throughout construction. The terminal was built from 100% recycled steel, and more than 35,000 tons of concrete from the base were crushed and reused for roadways and taxiways.
The base command building was converted into a Hilton hotel, which received the national Green Seal “Silver Level Achievement for Environmental Operational Commitment” for its efforts to reduce its overall carbon footprint, making it one of only five hotel properties in Texas to earn this distinction.
In the years since AUS’s opening, we have doubled down on our commitment to sustainability, investing time and funding to incorporate environmental initiatives into our operations.
Our Approach to Sustainability
At AUS, the Environmental Affairs Division is empowered to build on the airport’s legacy of sustainability and help plan for future growth. The Division currently has 13 full-time positions, with more coming, in five different focus areas.
• Compliance: Our highly effective compliance team ensures that AUS meets and often exceeds our local, state and federal requirements. This includes coordinating with many onsite stakeholders through permitting, inspections and support.
• Sustainability: This team works to embed our AUS sustainable philosophy throughout development and operations, including our sustainable development goals. This group also handles all of our carbon footprint calculations, manages our waste and additive diversion programs and tracks our waste production and utility use.
• Infrastructure: This group manages and monitors projects and systems like our vehicle electrification, solar power, reclaimed water, grease traps and fuel storage.
• Green Building: AUS has a long history of green building. We have multiple LEED silver- and goldcertified buildings and have recently transitioned to the Austin Energy Green Building program, achieving 3-star certification for our Airport Career Development Center. We have two full-time positions in coordination with Austin Energy to further this effort.
• Planning and Remediation: This team oversees activities such as coordination with the FAA, Department of Defense, NEPA compliance, brownfield remediation and other regulatory matters.
An Impact Across AUS
The Environmental Affairs Division has an “everywhere” approach to sustainability. Our division engages with every other division within the Aviation Department from maintenance to finance, as well as over 130 onsite tenants to ensure compliance, implement sustainability initiatives, build greener infrastructure and reduce our carbon footprint. Coordination and collaboration are key to everything the Environmental Division does at AUS.
We focus on educating all new team members— regardless of their position—on our sustainable programs, philosophy and compliance obligations. Every employee can help further these efforts in one way or another, from recycling, to turning off lights or reporting spills and leaks. We want to show them how their daily duties can contribute to making the airport more sustainable and accomplishing the overall goals of the City of Austin.
AUS has been growing at a phenomenal rate and is set to spend billions over the next 10 years with the Airport Expansion and Development Program (AEDP). The Program includes large-scale infrastructure projects like new midfield taxiways, major utility improvements, new buildings — including a new central utility plant, a second concourse, new parking facilities, and a new arrivals and departures hall. This level of expansion has led to the creation of the AEDP Sustainability Goals. These goals were developed over a year and a half by benchmarking many other airports and with extensive input from internal and external stakeholders, including other city departments, industry experts and top consultants from around the world. The goals cover a wide range of focus areas, including energy and water conservation, carbon neutrality, waste diversion, resiliency and adaptability, as well as passenger experience and community trust. As expansion work proceeds, each project will be evaluated based on these focus areas and we will work with our partners to implement targets and metrics to achieve these goals from the pre-planning stages through operations.
Next Level Sustainability
While sustainability has always been a focus at AUS, our program came further into focus in 2016, when we decided to join the Airports Council International-North America Airport Carbon Accreditation program. As we’ve progressed through the program to higher levels of accreditation, we’ve mapped our footprint, showed carbon reductions each year, developed a stakeholder engagement plan and are continually working to reduce the remaining carbon footprint. In 2021, Austin became the first medium-hub airport in North America to reach Level 3+ Neutrality accreditation and we continue to offset 100% of our remaining carbon footprint.
“The terminal was built from 100% recycled steel, and more than 35,000 tons of concrete from the base were crushed and reused for roadways and taxiways.”
Our work is not done. We’re aiming to reach a Level 4-transformation rating this year and this is no small task. It will require a comprehensive analysis of our emissions, as well as close collaboration with our stakeholders and a laser focus on actively delivering emissions reductions. We are defining a long-term management strategy focused on achieving absolute emissions reductions that align with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Setting Our Goals
To keep us accountable, AUS released our firstever Environmental, Social and Governance Report. It provides an overview of our how our environmental stewardship, operations and customer service work together while we connect Austin and Central Texas to the world.
On the environmental front, the report covers, among other goals:
• Climate resilience and adaptation
• Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
• Water use and resources
• Waste and recycling management
• Procurement and resource management
• Wildlife protection and biodiversity
• Extreme weather risks and responses
From the very beginning, AUS has had a strong focus on the environment and sustainability. Now with a massive expansion program kicking off, aiming to double the capacity of the airport with the construction of Terminal B, we continue to focus on making AUS one of the most sustainable airports in the world. We have an incredible group of dedicated employees within the Aviation Department, and great support from our sister departments and leaders. I look forward to seeing what we can all accomplish together! Austin is one of the greatest cities in the country, and we want to play a role in keeping it that way.
Sustainability as a Guiding Principle
One of the world’s busiest airports aims to be a leader in sustainability
Scott Morrissey — Senior Vice President for Sustainability Denver International Airport
Like many large airports, Denver International Airport’s scale and activity levels present a number of sustainability opportunities. By defining “Sustainability and Resiliency” as one of four guiding principles within our “Vision 100” Strategic Plan, DEN has developed a framework to consider the impact of all business decisions in a sustainability context and to demonstrate our values to the communities we serve. Vision 100 represents a significant moment in DEN’s history, as we prepare our facilities for 100 million annual passengers within the next few years.
While sustainability has long been a top priority for Denver International Airport, under the leadership of CEO Phil Washington, we have continued to strategically advance our aim to be one of the most sustainable airports in the world.
Environmental Management System
DEN’s sustainability performance starts with our ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System (EMS), which has been in place since 2004 and provides a strong foundation for performance through proactive planning for all environmental risks and opportunities. The EMS contains annual goals, strategies and procedures across seven objectives (Air Quality and Climate, Energy, Land Protection, Sustainable Development, Waste Reduction, Water Quality, and Water Use), and builds accountability through annual internal and external audits and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Planning for Growth
DEN is already one of the world’s busiest airports and hosted nearly 78 million passengers in 2023. We know that sustainable growth can present challenges; as airports grow, their environmental impacts tend to grow at a similar pace.
We have made a commitment to our community that we will work to decouple environmental impacts from growth as we progress on longterm goals like net zero emissions by 2040 and are already making progress with a scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions reduction that nearly matches the almost 50% increase in passengers since 2013.
There’s no clearer sign of DEN’s growth than the 39 new gates that have opened since late 2020. As with all DEN construction, the new gates were designed and constructed to the United States Green Building Council’s LEED Gold standard. Although the certification process is not complete, we expect at least one of the new concourse expansion projects will ultimately be certified at LEED Platinum. These projects will join DEN’s existing high-performance building portfolio that includes a LEED Silver Data Center, LEED Gold Concourse C West expansion, LEED Gold Fire Station 35 and LEED Platinum airport-owned Westin hotel, which sits directly above an electric commuter rail that opened in 2016 and transports passengers to and from downtown Denver.
Energy Performance Contract
Although it is exciting to open sustainable new facilities, DEN also recognizes that we have millions of existing square feet that we need to bring to a similar level of efficiency. In 2022, DEN kicked off an $83 million Energy Performance Contract (EPC) that is the largest efficiency project in Colorado history and is projected to reduce DEN’s overall energy use by 20%, water use by 30% and greenhouse gas emissions by 30,000 metric tons annually through lighting upgrades, restroom water improvements and a new Energy Management Controls System. To DEN’s goal of decoupling growth from environmental impacts, our efficient new construction and EPC project have already allowed DEN to recognize a water use reduction of more than 100 million gallons from 2022-23.
Solar Energy
In addition to energy efficiency, DEN is also well-known for its commitment to renewable energy. In 2008, it became one of the first airports to host a large-scale solar photovoltaic array, a highly visible two-megawatt (MW) system on Peña Boulevard, the main access road to the airport. Since then, several other solar projects have been constructed on DEN property, totaling more than 35 MW of generation over 150 acres with another 13 MW solar array scheduled to be energized later this year. DEN has also diversified our solar portfolio, with rooftop arrays, “Community Solar Gardens,” subscriptions to utility-owned projects and a solar-powered battery energy storage system coming online this summer that will provide backup power and microgrid controls for our inter-concourse train system.
Waste
At facilities as complex as airports, waste reduction takes many forms. In addition to municipal solid waste diversion activities like airport-wide recycling, composting and donation programs, DEN also has comprehensive programs to proactively manage unique waste streams like aircraft deicing fluid.
For a cold-weather airport like DEN, aircraft deicing is critical to maintaining safety, efficiency and reliability during the winter months. To mitigate the risks associated with deicing activities, DEN maintains a robust stormwater management system that collects an average of 70 percent of the deicing fluid applied to aircraft during each winter season. Once collected, DEN has a newly reconstructed on-site glycol recycling facility that can reclaim the spent propylene glycol to a standard that it can be blended back into deicing fluid and reapplied to aircraft in a closed loop. What could have been a significant environmental liability is turned into a commodity that reduces the emissions associated with manufacturing and transporting new deicing fluid, localizes and strengthens supplies and reduces costs throughout the value chain.
Reporting
DEN is lucky to be part of an extremely collaborative aviation sustainability community, with so many airports willing to share best practices and lessons learned as they take sustainability to greater heights in response to unique community priorities. Denver is a community focused on sustainability, and as a municipally-owned and operated airport, DEN actively participates in the sustainability programs championed by the administration of Mayor Mike Johnston. In an effort to be more transparent with our community and other stakeholders, DEN released our first-ever Environmental, Social and Governance report last year, which details our progress toward meeting Denver’s ambitious sustainability goals. This combination of topdown and bottom-up support puts DEN in a unique position to promote sustainability as a key business value that will drive airport success long into the future.
A mission centered on bold climate action
San Francisco International Airport, where safety AND sustainability come first
Erin Cooke — Sustainability and Environmental Policy Director San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a long history of environmental stewardship, much like the region we serve. Decades ago, we launched programs centered on water conservation and energy reduction. In 2011, we released our first climate action plan and became the first airport in the U.S. with a LEED Gold certified terminal. In 2022, we earned airport-wide certification at the Platinum level through the LEED for Communities program—another global first.
We are proud of our accomplishments. But there is always more to do – our changing climate demands it.
Our new mission statement—“Delivering an airport experience where people and our planet come first”—is at the core of our five-year Strategic Plan released in 2023, making sustainability a guiding principle across our airport and for all who travel and work here. Within this Plan, the Airport elevates its ambition to “take bold climate action” as a means of not only reducing SFO’s climate impact but also driving and inspiring others across the industry to do the same. Our pathway to do so is outlined below.
Triple Zero Commitment & Action
To support our mission and put the planet first, we’ve set a goal of reaching zero net energy, zero net carbon and zero waste by 2030. This industry-leading commitment shapes our decision making—from design and construction through operations.
Zero Net Energy: To always reduce our demands first, then source all our remaining energy from renewables
“Delivering an airport experience where people and our planet come first.”
At SFO, we view zero net energy as both an opportunity and an imperative, particularly in a state with increasing energy shortages and shutoffs. As such, we’ve made significant strides toward hitting our zero net energy goal. In 2015, we opened the world’s first zero net energy airport building to house our critical airfield operations team, and in 2021, we opened Harvey Milk Terminal 1, North America’s most energy-efficient new terminal building and the world’s first airport building to achieve Platinum certification under LEED v4, the newest and most stringent LEED standards. But it’s not just our new terminals, we have to prioritize the 17-millionsquare-feet of existing, and aging, facilities that have a 50-year useful life. So, we’re monitoring, and retro-commissioning these spaces to ensure all buildings can achieve their peak performance and reduce unnecessary energy demands on campus. In our 2020 Zero Net Energy Plan, we benchmarked the performance of all 100+ buildings onsite, set targets for optimal energy use intensity (EUI) per space, and then developed strategies and capital investments for meeting these EUI goals. We are now implementing those plans through a dedicated team.
Looking ahead, the installation, optimization and continued maintenance of 55 megawatts of solar power across our campus will reduce our onsite energy use and build our resilience during grid emergencies. To address peak-load energy consumption, we’ll continue to load manage our assets (including our growing fleet of EV chargers), while testing smart grid technology and battery energy storage as part of a new redevelopment program that includes warehouses, cargo handling facilities and office buildings, with a goal of broadening the technology to the more energy intensive terminals in approximately five years.
Zero Net Carbon: To reduce airport-controlled greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to be less than or equal to emissions sequestered on-site, while fostering reductions across our airline and concession partners
As a gateway to one of the world’s most environmentally progressive regions, we know that SFO must lead on climate and, so, have both set GHG targets that outpace those set for our industry by 20 years, while ensuring we also align goals with the United Nations Paris Agreement. While we await the
environmental approval, and subsequent design and construction of our all-electric central plant – representing a nearly 90 percent reduction in our onsite emissions – we are electrifying our buildings and ground transportation modes as envisioned in our 2021 Electrification Action Plan and 2020 Zero Emissions Vehicle Readiness Plan. We also continue to drive forward our Lower Emissions via Sustainable Solutions Transportation Policy (SFO LESS), which supports and promotes mobility solutions to, from and within the Airport. This policy has led to the creation of the SFO Go Shuttle, which offers a faster transit alternative for workers who live in underserved parts of the Bay.
To maximize emissions reductions that arise onsite and truly be bold, we have to go beyond our own facilities and fleet and be intentional about the ways we enable our partners to accomplish their own climate goals. This includes all our tenants who occupy our base buildings and our airlines, who alone emit over 400 times that of the airport itself. For example, we set stringent requirements for all new tenant spaces to operate all-electric and achieve a set EUI. We also run a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Working Group alongside our airlines and alternative fuel producers to define SAF infrastructure, logistics, financing and policy needs to prioritize this drop-in fuel for SFO. Through this partnership, SAF volumes continue to climb on campus. In 2022, aircraft at SFO used 11 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel, and we expect to hit 25 million gallons this year. That represents about 3% of our total gallonage. Our target for 2025 is to get to 5% sustainable fuel.
Zero Waste: To divert at least 90% of waste from landfills and incinerators using methods like source reduction, recycling and composting.
Waste represents an inefficient and recoverable resource that we want to reduce, reuse or reclaim as an asset for our campus and tenants, particularly given the lifecycle and embodied carbon in these materials. Zero waste goals are being realized through policies that promote material reduction first, and reuse next, including designing demolition in a way that allows us to maximize the reclamation of building materials.
In 2019, we were the first airport to ban single-use plastic water bottles, food containers and utensils, and, in 2021 banned all other plastic bottles. This change has allowed us to eliminate 12 million plastic bottles from our waste stream annually, and other corporate campuses even more who have followed in our footsteps. Now, we’re transitioning to both fiber-based food ware that can be easily identified and truly composted, while taking steps towards piloting reusables to fully eliminate this unnecessary material stream.
Health and Well-being
In addition to our triple zero commitments, we place a strong emphasis on designing and maintaining buildings that support the health and well-being of travelers and visitors. As the airport that offered the first yoga room to our passengers, we take this seriously! In 2022, Harvey Milk Terminal 1 became the world’s first airport to receive WELL Certification, a system for measuring the features of a built environment that impacts human health and wellbeing. Features include:
• Air filtration systems to remove pollutants and odor to meet the indoor air quality requirements of WELL as verified through third-party testing
• Annual water quality testing (with publicly shared results)
• Dynamic glazed windows that change with the sun’s location to reduce glare and improve comfort
• Large windows harnessing daylight to reduce the need for electric lighting
• Purchasing products, systems and materials with the least environmental impact based upon Health Product Declarations (HPDs)
• Green cleaning processes
• Sound reducing surfaces and quieter mechanical systems
This focus enabled us to not only rapidly respond to, and recover from, the pandemic, but creates brighter, cleaner, healthier spaces that improve worker conditions day in and day out.
Accountability and Teamwork
We know that simply putting in new lighting or switching to recycled water isn’t enough. We must also show the impact of our initiatives. So, we’ve developed performance targets for all our initiatives and using data analytics to highlight where we’re winning and where we have more work to do.
We set our bar very high, recognizing that meeting our goals requires partners airport-wide, as well as anyone who interacts with the airport—designers, builders, trades, airlines and travelers – but can also help these climate allies in achieving their own aims.
Bold climate action takes everyone—from our custodians who sort through our materials recovery areas and source separate all we can before it heads offsite, to engineers who build the next generation of efficient energy systems, and top leadership. We are all driven by our mission of “delivering an airport experience where people and planet come first.”
Cross-disciplinary teams have been bringing together SFO staff, business partners and community leaders for over a decade to promote crowd-sourcing of sustainable solutions. Sometimes, big climate wins come in surprising places. Human Resources, Finance and Guest Services launched a waste reduction program that donates leftover food to nonprofits–14,000 meals last year alone.
Ensuring a better, bolder tomorrow
As the largest employer and economic driver in our region, our 2,000+ climate committed employees feel a duty to ensure that SFO is built to last for the betterment of the entire area. SFO is doing this and more, as we aim to be the first airport in the world to achieve “triple zero.” With each decision that we make, we hope to demonstrate to the industry that it’s possible to take impactful action today to ensure a better tomorrow.