Air Travel is Getting Greener

Before starting in the Masters of Urban Planning Program at San Jose State University, I never thought of the impact airports had on environmental planning. Since most people do not frequent the airport on a daily bases airports and air travel is easily forgotten as a major contributor to planning problems and environmental impacts.

In an effort to do their part in environmental protection, Clean Airport Partnership, Inc. (CAP), a non-profit, was established in 1998 to specialize in environmental quality and energy efficiency at airports. CAP has developed the Green Airport Initiative (GAI) to streamline airports approach to shrinking their ecological footprint and promote sustainable development. GAI is a method provided to airport planners consisting of two phases; the Baseline and Implementation. CAP has received funding from various agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In 2003, CAP submitted “10 Airport Survey: Energy Use, Policies, and Programs for Terminal Buildings” to the DOE. This report provided extensive research on seven major information areas for each of the ten participating US airports. Airport planners can utilize this information to reduce the environmental footprint of US airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has an Environmental Program. It addresses issues of air quality, land use, and GHG emissions. After reviewing their Environmental program, it is my opinion that the FAA is not doing enough to protect the environment. The Voluntary Airport Low Emissions Program (VALE) is the FAA’s program aimed at reducing GHG emissions. Since it is voluntary, the program does not have teeth and is not effective in getting airports and airlines to make an effort in reducing their ecological footprint.

It is my recommendation that the FAA follow DOE and EPA in supporting CAP and GAI. If all US airports utilized CAP’s guidelines for reducing their ecological footprint they would save money and make a significant impact in the fight against global warming.