Airport News

The Colorado hub signed up on Sunday at the ACI-North America annual conference in Atlanta, as it continues its environmental efforts to reduce climate change impacts while also reducing operational costs and improving efficiencies.

The programme will become available to North American airports for the first time in 2015, and Denver International has committed to being one of the first airports in the US to pursue certification.

Airport CEO, Kim Day, explains: “Denver International Airport was built with sustainability in mind, and for nearly two decades the airport’s environmental programs have been a model for the industry.

“Today, we are continuing that legacy by committing ourselves to even higher standards of environmental stewardship that will further reduce our carbon emissions and invest in green initiatives that are financially viable and protect our natural assets.”

Airport Carbon Accreditation requires airports to measure their CO2 emissions and to have emissions verified by an independent third party.

Participating airports then work to reduce on-site activities that contribute to carbon emissions, such as installing energy-efficient lighting, using green energy sources, investing in alternative-fuel vehicles, working with partner agencies to reduce runway taxiing times, and more.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has also been named the first airport in North America to be certified for reducing carbon emissions by the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.

A special ceremony over the weekend honoured Sea-Tac with Level 2 Reduction certification, and Port of Seattle Commission co-President, Stephanie Bowman, explains: "This is a significant step to be recognized world-wide for the conservation and environmental stewardship programmes we have instituted at Sea-Tac Airport.

“Next year we expect to go even further in the certification as part of our Century Agenda goal to reduce aircraft-related emissions by 25% at Sea-Tac and 50% overall at the Port of Seattle.”

Overall, Sea-Tac demonstrated an 8% reduction in airport terminal carbon emissions in three years through energy efficiencies and low-carbon electricity, and has plans for other initiatives to gain Level 3.