Going green is a growing trend in every economic sector. Airports and airlines are not staying behind, and are indeed going green too. William F. Hewitt in his article "The Only Way to Fly" talks about how airports and airlines are working on becoming more sustainable in great part for economic reasons. However, it does not matter as much why they are going green, what matters more is that airports and airlines are changing towards sustainability.
In Hewitt's article airports are defined as cities "with utilities, transportation, businesses, even parks and recreation in some cases, and residences and training facilities"[1]. In other words, airports are cities in their own that use many resources to function. That is why the fact that airports and airlines are going green is excellent news.
Hewitt gives some examples of what some airports around the U.S. are doing to become sustainable. Some of the examples include the San Francisco International Airport which is currently studying how much jet fuel could be saved if airplanes were towed to the runway. Another interesting area in which airports are focusing is food service. Portland International Airport "has an ambitious food waste collection and composting program" in which waste from the kitchens and plates are collected and sent to a nearby facility for composting. These two examples alone show that some airports are taking seriously the concept of sustainability. However, the key in making a big difference is convincing other airports that going green is the future not only economically but also environmentally.
Portland International Airport
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Source:
[1] William F. Hewitt, "The Only Way to Fly," American Planning Association, Vol. 73, No. 10, November 2007.
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