U.S. Airports Take Baby Steps to Go Green

Some airports are beginning to seem more like malls than transportation hubs, packed with dozens of bars, stores, restaurants and coffee shops. According to a September 2009 Energy Business Report, "airports have been spending hundreds of millions in terminal facilities that are aesthetically pleasing but are not configured to conserve energy."

"However," the report continues, "similar to many other industries, airports are fast adopting the green zeitgeist, led partly by better social consciousness and ameliorating engineering science, and made more pressing by ascending fuel costs." Some initiatives airports are taking to improve their images are using Alternative Fuel Vehicle fleets (AFV's) that reduce exposure of travelers to noxious ground level emissions from gasoline vehicles - they include tows, baggage tractors, buses, taxis and shuttles.

Some international airports using AFVs include Dallas/Fort Worth, Sacramento, Denver, San Francisco, Baltimore-Washington, Boston Logan, Los Angeles, and Phoenix Sky Harbor. International airports with other eco-friendly initiatives are Austin-Bergstrom, Seattle-Tacoma, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky, Cleveland Hopkins, Portland, and Hartsfield Atlanta.

Just flying in an airplane alone is a huge contributor to greenhouse gases; airlines in the U.S. emitted about 418 billion pounds of carbon dioxide in 2007, according the the Air Transport Association. We recommend offsetting the carbon emissions from your flights at carbonfund.org.

Read more green travel advice in RTM's Earth Tones section.

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Comments

[Susanna Murley]

Thank you for mentioning Carbonfund.org! One way customers can help our efforts to fight climate change is by supporting our partners Virgin America, Jet Blue and others who have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

Learn more at:
http://www.carbonfund.org/virginamerica
http://www.carbonfund.org/jetblue
http://www.carbonfund.org/site/business/carbonfree_jet

Thanks!