Outcomes of Green Initiatives: Large Airport Experience (2014)

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7 An initial literature review was undertaken to help shape the survey and case examples. After the survey, the literature review was expanded to supplement the survey findings. Relevant infor- mation from the literature survey is included here and referenced in this report. All documents reviewed, whether referenced or not, are listed in the annotated bibliography. DRIVERS OF SUSTAINABILITY AT AIRPORTS Airports are vital assets in the globally connected world and economy. “Major metropolitan air- ports are now an archetypal ‘glocalization’ in mediating the interaction between global forces and local environments” (Robertson 1995). As John Short (2004, p. 72) put it, “airports are not just nodes in the global network of flaws, they are sites of major environmental impact that highlight the tension between international connectivity and local livability” (Freestone and Baker 2011). The demands on airport services continue to grow, so their direct and indirect environmental effects can be expected to expand in a similar manner. In recognition of this, many airports have begun focus- ing on sustainable expansion and green initiatives or their triple bottom line. TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE The term “triple bottom line” was coined by John Elkington (1997) and “measures the company’s economic value; ‘people account’—which measures the company’s degree of social responsibility; and the company’s ‘planet account’—which measures the organization’s environmental responsibility.” This approach was founded on the concept that an organization, instead of focusing solely on its finances, should improve upon its social, economic, and environmental impact for the long-term survival of itself and society. AIRPORTS AND SUSTAINABILITY FAA has recognized the importance of environmental protection and green initiatives. Currently, these airport initiatives and programs align with sustainability’s “triple bottom line” of “society, environment, and economy.” According to the Office of Airport Planning and Programming (2012), ongoing initia- tives include “Part 150” Noise Compatibility Planning Program (1984), Voluntary Airport Low Emis- sions Program (VALE 2005), Environmental Management System (2007), and numerous geothermal and solar projects. More recently, the Sustainable Master Plan Pilot Program includes plans to take “a more proactive, holistic approach to sustainable planning and creates a road map to identify ways to reduce energy consumption, reduce environmental impacts, realize economic benefits and become a bet- ter neighbor” (Office of Airport Planning and Programming 2012). In 2012, FAA published the “Report on the Sustainable Master Plan Pilot Program and Lessons Learned” that outlined numerous topics, including best practices, lessons learned, and notable sustainability initiatives that were undertaken. Under this directive, airports were allowed to choose between two sustainability plan types: sustain- ability master plan and sustainability management plan. Both approaches provide the same foundation for airports to build upon, beginning with creating a sustainability mission statement, providing sustain- ability categories that would be analyzed, developing baseline assessments, and involving the public and respective stakeholders (FAA 2012). In addition to the FAA pilot program, other outlets have provided airports with invaluable guidelines for starting, tracking, and reporting their green initiatives. chapter three LITERATURE REVIEW

8 Similarly, a broad coalition of aviation interests from ACI–NA, ACI, AAAE, ATA, FAA, as well as consultants and other individuals, created the Sustainable Aviation Guidance Alliance (SAGA) to “assist airport operators of all sizes in planning, implementing, and maintaining a sustainability program” (SAGA 2013). This coalition provides essential tools that allow airports to define sustain- ability themselves by exploring the benefits of a metric-based sustainability system. Scalability is also essential in the eyes of SAGA, so the group provides resources to create unique sustainability programs or initiatives based on each airport’s operating environment and resources. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) is an international con- glomeration of local, regional, and national governments that have made a commitment to sustain- able development. This association serves “as an information clearinghouse on local sustainable development by producing annual newsletters, regional updates on activities, case examples, train- ing guides and fact sheets” (ICLEI 2013). This serves as yet another valuable asset for airports that are looking for catalysts to develop long-term sustainability initiatives while partnering with local or regional governments. ACRP has been publishing annual synthesis studies on sustainability efforts, green initiatives, and similar progressive best practices; these reports have given the industry insight on how to improve operations and management. Sustainability practices at airports have been docu- mented in ACRP Synthesis 10: Airport Sustainability Practices (Berry et al. 2008). That synthesis studied the range of airport sustainability practices by targeting the input of airport operators and their efforts to improve upon their triple bottom line. The study found that the airport industry as a whole is moving toward a more holistic approach to sustainable practices and operations, with most current initiatives focusing on environmental improvements. Other recently published and working reports include ACRP Report 57: The Carbon Market: A Primer for Airports (Ritter et al. 2011); ACRP Report 02-28 (Active): Airport Sustainability Prac- tices: Tools for Evaluating, Measuring and Implementing; and ACRP Report 02-30: Enhancing the Airport Industry SAGA Website. ACRP 02-28 and ACRP 02-30 are being researched in coordination with one another. The intentions of these active studies are to assist the airport industry by identify- ing practices and providing sustainability tool guidance to gauge performances better. Because the breadth and depth of airport sustainability practices vary for each airport, these studies will allow all practices to be evaluated on the same rating system. This will allow for a better understanding by all stakeholders and a more sustainable approach to planning, construction, maintenance, and daily operations. The focus of these studies will allow airports to evaluate and select sustainability best practices and provide continual sources of information on the SAGA website. TRENDS IN REPORTING AND RATING Within the past few years, a number of reporting and rating systems have been developed. They include the GRI; ACI’s “Guide to Airport Performance Measures”; and “Envision.” Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certi- fication developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2000. In 2011 GRI published the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines & Airport Operators Sector Sup- plement to tackle the “unique sustainability challenges and opportunities, and the high degree of organizational and operational complexity associated with airports.” This sector supplement tailored the GRI Guidelines (G3.1) to the airport industry. In May 2013, GRI launched its updated set of guide- lines “the G4—the fourth generation.” Sector supplement content and indicators from the Airport Supplement, based on G3.1, can be used in conjunction with the new G4. The G4 should lead to meaningful reports that include material topics only. As such, an airport should select only the topics and metrics from the GRI guidelines and its supplements that are deemed relevant to the company and its key stakeholders. Before publishing these resources, GRI conducted market-specific research to establish trends for the airport industry for the year 2007. The study found a significant increase in environmental sustain- ability reporting in the airport sector, but sustainability still was not commonplace on the international level. In addition, the study identified multiple shortcomings and gaps in its own GRI guideline indi-

9 cators that were covered in airport sustainability report formats. This study helped the GRI develop the 2011 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines & Airport Operators Sector Supplement, a reporting benchmark for sustainable and green initiatives to be compared within and between airports. Another reporting structure is the ACI Guide to Airport Performance Measures, which was released in 2012. It provides airports a way to assess performance in six key performance areas. “Envision” is a rating system for sustainable infrastructure that was developed by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) in partnership with the Zofnass Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2011–2012 (http://www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/rating/index.cfm). The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), American Public Works Association (APWA), and ASCE founded ISI because they saw the need for a standardized framework for the classification of sustainabil- ity practices. They worked together to develop and administer a sustainable infrastructure rating system. The rating system assesses projects and provides a guidance tool for sustainable design. The framework provides criteria and performance achievements for users to identify sustainable approaches to plan, design, construct, and operate infrastructure projects. Envision provides a framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types of infrastructure projects for the life of the project. Envision also trains Envision sustainability professionals, who are trained and credentialed by ISI. ISI provides an independent, third-party verifier who works with the Envision sustainability professional to validate his or her assessment of a project. Since 2000, the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED has provided a rating system for green build- ing design, construction, operations, and maintenance. LEED ratings recognize several levels of per- formance: LEED, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, and LEED Platinum, the highest ranking (see Figure 1). FIGURE 1 Green roof. ACI Key Performance Areas Core: Measures used to characterize airports, including the number of passengers and type of operations. Safety and Security: The most important areas of responsibility for airports; have their own key performance areas. Service Quality: Important area for airports that operate in competitive environments. Productivity/Efficiency: Tracking of airport outputs, including those not cost based, such as operating cost per passenger. Financial/Commercial: Airport charges, financial strength and sustainability, and the performance of indi- vidual functions. Environmental: Efforts of airports to minimize their environmental impacts. Source: http://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2012/02/27/ACI-Launches-a-Guide-to-Airport- Performance-Measures.