Principato hopes that, “by working with their communities, regulators, Congress and industry partners, airports can move toward a cleaner, quieter aviation industry.”

Following are the goals adopted by ACI-NA on behalf of airports in North America:

General Environmental Goals

1. Environmental policies: Every ACI-NA member airport will strive to have an environmental policy statement by 2010.
2. Environmental management systems: Every ACI-NA member airport will strive to have an environmental management system in place by:
   • 2014 at large airports.
   • 2016 at medium airports.
   • 2019 at small airports.

Air Quality, Climate and Energy Goals

1. Low-emission airport vehicles and ground support equipment (GSE): ACI-NA member airports will strive to convert airport-owned and operated ground vehicles and GSE to low emission vehicles with an industry-wide average goal of 50 percent of vehicle conversion by 2019.
2. Low-emission access vehicles: By 2010, every ACI-NA member airports will strive to implement an incentive program to encourage taxi, shuttle, limo and rental car companies to use low-emission vehicles.
3. Low-emission vehicle infrastructure: Half of ACI-NA member airports will strive to provide low emission vehicle support infrastructure by 2019.
4. Energy conservation: By 2014, every ACI-NA member airport will strive to implement an energy conservation program that includes adoption of an airport-specific goal to reduce nonrenewable energy consumption.
5. Loading bridges equipped with -re-conditioned air and power: Every ACI-NA member airports will strive to have at least 25 percent of their loading bridges equipped with pre-conditioned air and 400 Hz electrification by 2019.
6. Reduced fee and/or parking incentives for low-emission passenger vehicles: Half of ACI-NA member airports will strive to provide incentives and/or reduced fee parking for low-emission passenger vehicles by 2011.
7. Greenhouse gas emissions inventories: Half of ACI-NA member airports will strive to conduct greenhouse gas emissions inventories by 2015.

Noise Goals

1. Noise and land use compatibility policies: Every ACI-NA member airport will strive to develop a noise and land use compatibility policy by 2019.

Waste Management Goals

1. Recycling programs: Every ACI-NA member airport will strive to have a basic recycling program in place by 2011. Half of airports will have more extensive recycling programs by 2014.

Water Quality Goals

1. Water conservation: By 2014, every ACI-NA member airport will strive to implement a water conservation program that includes adoption of an airport-specific goal to reduce water consumption.
2. Spill reduction training: ACI-NA member airports will facilitate awareness and training with a goal of reducing spills by 25 percent from 2005 levels by 2015. ACI-NA airports will strive to have no releases of petroleum-based spills.

Once again, here’s to the aviation industry for making moves toward sustainability – and understanding that the focus is not (and should not be) only on aircraft and the airside of the industry, but that aviation and airports are systems, and must be regarded as such.  Anything done at an airport – whether on the landside (passengers / customers) or the airside (aircraft / employees) – will make aviation’s overall impact and footprint smaller.

And that is to be commended and encouraged.  Keep it up!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

So imagine how excited I was when one of the free, digital editions of an aviation industry magazine I am subscribed to opened up an “Eco-Aviation Today” edition!

Air Transport World opened up TODAY with their Eco Aviation Today edition – you can sign up for emails from them, or just go to the “Eco Channel” on their website.

Check it out today to read about Continental Airlines, Boeing, CFM International, and Honeywell planning a January 9th flight using 50% biofuel and 50% regular Jet A fuel.  Nothing new, you say?  I already wrote about bio-jet fuel, you say?

True, but this fuel, according to Continental, is “a special fuel blend including components derived from algae and jatropha plants, sustainable, second-generation [sources] that don’t impact food crops or water resources, and don’t contribute to deforestation.”

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

Happy National Aviation Day to all of you USA-ites out there!

August 19th is the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday in 1871, and was designated National Aviation Day in 1939 as a way to stimulate interest in aviation in the United States.

No, this is not related to the environment (not directly), but long-time readers of environmentastic! will know that I am not only an environmentalist, but also an aviation enthusiast. Sounds contradictory, but I don’t think it is – I believe that every industry (nearly every industry) has the potential to work in harmony with nature.

Even the (very) few industries that, by their very nature, cannot completely harmonize themselves with the environment – like Big Oil, Nuclear Power, etc. – can and should do their very best to limit the impact that they have.

That’s all for today, but tomorrow is Simple Ways Wednesday – and after that, I will actually be showing exactly how some in aviation are, indeed, looking toward the future and finding new ways to power aircraft in a more sustainable manner.

Until then…

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

This will be the first time a commercial aircraft has run biofuel in-flight. Some airlines and Boeing have joined up in a major initiative to discover sources of sustainable aircraft fuel for the future. 

Branson stated, “This breakthrough will help Virgin Atlantic to fly its planes using clean fuel sooner than expected. The demonstration flight next month will give us crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. Virgin Group pledged to invest all its profits from its transportation companies towards developing clean energy and with this breakthrough we are well down the path to achieving our goals.”

Virgin Atlantic’s vision for the aviation industry’s possibilities is demonstrated by using clean-fuel technology to reduce carbon emissions, and the company’s drive to reduce its environmental impact wherever possible is evident in this announcement, in addition to the other moves it has made, including becoming the first airline in the world to allow passengers to purchase carbon offsets while in the air – during flight. Virgin also placed the largest order for Boeing 787 Dreamliners in Europe in 2007, ordering 15 of the aircraft, and options to purchase another 28 aircraft. The Dreamliner is 60% quieter and uses 30% less fuel than the aircraft that will be replaceed in the airline’s fleet.

This information was announced on Ground Support Worldwide.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

According to Ground Support Worldwide, airlines are pushing their fares in the vertical, upwards direction due to “oil’s latest surge.”

The article mentions that crude futures have crossed the “once unthinkable” $100/barrel mark (unthinkable by those who didn’t understand the term “non-renewable”), causing most airlines to raise fares by $10-$20 per ticket.

United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Air Canada, Air Tran, and Midwest Airlines were specifically mentioned in the article, which also stated that “carriers tried to raise fares 23 times last year.”

United Airlines’ spokeperson Robin Urbanski “acknowledged [that] fares in and out of some cities are higher than they used to be, but ‘are still relatively lower than a few years ago given that fuel is our highest expense.’”

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<!– Begin Caleb’s Comments –>

As an environmentaslist, I’m always torn about the airlines… aviation is one of my favorite topics, and I’m a pilot as well.  My education is in aviation management and entrepreneurship, so I also understand costs and profit motive – in aviation and in other businesses.  I also know that some environmentalists will just say, “Good.  Higher ticket prices mean fewer people will fly, and flying is a large carbon-footprint-producer.” I don’t necessarily think it’s that simple (nor should it be).

Business-people in general claim to be (and try to act as if they are) future-focused.  More than anything else, that means that they are focused on the future of their company’s profits for the sake of their shareholders.  What I don’t understand is that these same business people generally aren’t thinking about where their company’s future supplies will come from when the current supplies are gone.

Business people “get” supply and demand – it’s basic economics.  If the demand exceeds the supply prices go up.  Guess what is happening with oil prices, folks?  Demand continues to exceed supply… and the market responds.  As prices increase, demand SHOULD decrease – but oil is an inelastic commodity.  In other words, if you have to get to work to survive, you’ll put gas in the tank of your car when the tank is empty no matter the price.  You don’t have a choice.

The airlines survive on jet fuel.  It is their largest expense and it is their life-blood.  Without it, they don’t have a business.  So where will it come from when the jet fuel is gone?  Or when its cost is too high for your customers/passengers to bear any more increase in ticket prices?

Why aren’t the leaders of the airline and transportation industries hot-under-the-collar for alternative fuel?  Or alternative propulsion technologies?  Why aren’t the airlines using some of their estimated 3.5-4.5 billion dollar profits to speed up the research of alternative and renewable fuels?

Frustrated in Fantasyland,
A. Caleb Hartley

As I mentioned before, I’ve been in Hong Kong since December 30th, and my internet access was limited, so I’ve been unable to post regularly.  Both directions of travel were dreadful – more than 24-hours of airports and flying each direction… horrible (and I’m an aviation enthusiast!).

We also got conned while at the Beijing airport – we were unable to get our full through tickets out of Hong Kong, just the Air China tickets from Hong Kong to Beijing.  This meant that we had to go through immigration in Beijing, then through the baggage claim and customs to the public area.  Here, we were trying to find where to go to get our Continental tickets back to the US and a Chinese woman wearing a hotel name badge offered to help us, so we followed her through the back halls of the airport (first mistake) to near the customs check for international departures.  She then asked for money (I told her we only had Hong Kong dollars, which she refused), then my mother gave her a U.S. $20.  She asked for $20 per person she “helped” (there were three of us).  My mother gave her another $20 before I said “forget it” and pulled our group away from the women (another woman – a pickpocket had shown up as we reached the final destination where the original woman asked for money). 

This was a good lesson that, fortunately, only cost us $40 US – the pickpocket got into my wife’s bag, but didn’t get anything.  For anyone reading this – next time, get full paper tickets all the way through to you destination so you don’t have to go to the public area of any foreign airport.  Also, only speak to people in full uniform – I didn’t notice that the woman who offered to help was NOT wearing a uniform – just a hotel name tag.  Most airline employees are honest – no matter the country – and customs agents and police officers are always going to be more trustworthy than just some person offering to help.  Lessons learned.  Thank you universe (it could have been worse).  On that note, I’ll probably never go back to Beijing airport.  Certainly not if I can help it.

 
This is how I will remember my Chinese con-artist – except my memory will be of a Chinese woman and her shill.

On the bright side, I did make it to the Hong Kong Manufacturers’ Expo, and was able to get some great pictures and such from the Organic Living Pavilion.  I also got to see first-hand how Hong Kong is attempting to make itself greener on a day-to-day basis.

Stay tuned for more information about Hong Kong’s environmental efforts and information!

Glad to be back in the US (for now)…

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

The Czechoslovakian-built L-29 jet flew for 37 minutes on a test-flight at altitudes up to 17,000 feet on October 2nd of 2007 (the first 100% biodiesel fueled flight was a shorter one on October 1st).

The plane used recycled vegetable oil from restaurants (which had an additive treatment to remove the carbon-chains from the oil).  Another planned flight from Nevada to Florida was supposed to heppen in November, but has been delayed.

The pilots (Douglas Rodante and Carol Sugars) are planning to modify a learjet to use biodiesel fuel on an around-the-world flight in 2008.

Links to information about the flight:

• http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2007/071030biofuel.html
• http://www.gizmag.com/go/8204/
• http://www.biofuelreview.com/content/view/1270/
• http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=14777
• http://www.doctordiesel.com/AviationHistory.pdf

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

Today is a rare day where we have a not-so common combination of all three!  On the Logistics Today website the other day there was an article called “Air Group Pushes Environmental Programs.”  Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said, “The $132 billion fuel bill that airlines pay is the biggest green incentive of any industry to reduce its carbon footprint.”

Since fuel is any airlines biggest expense, it only makes sense for the IATA to try to help airlines reduce the amount of fuel they burn (or, to put a green spin on this solely profit-motivated opportunity, to increase their efficiency), IATA appointed former World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Paul Steele to direct new environmental initiatives of the association.  IATA, under Steele, has built an environmental strategy based on the following four elements: new technology, improved infrastructure, efficient operations, and economic incentives.

The article states that IATA helped reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 15 million tons in 2006, though it does not say how it did so or how the reduction was calculated; however, I will stand by environmentastic!’s policy that any focus on the environment is good – even if just to increase awareness of what is possible!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley