The Boston Logan International Airport has its own fleet of small wind turbines, looking across the business district horizon across the grand harbor as commercial jets descend overhead. Each 6-foot-tall turbine, based at the edge of the rooftop of the airport's main office, is appended at a specific angle to capture the winds that blow through Boston Harbor.
The 20 turbines, established in July 2008, are anticipated to yield about 100,000 kilowatt-hours yearly, adequate to 3% of the building's energy requirements.
Logan's turbines are one of the most obvious examples of the environmentally friendly initiatives being adopted by leading U.S. airports. From low-flush toilets and hybrid cabs to solar arrays and recycled coffee grounds, some of the biggest aerodromes are aggressively carrying out green measures to economize on energy prices and to yield encouraging impressions among travelers.
Airports have always had to comply with certain environmental regulations arising out of their operations, as local governments require impact studies on new construction projects and soundproofing nearby homes. Landings and takeoffs, as well as the diesel shuttles that circle the terminal roads, leave thousands of tons of toxic emissions in a compact area of the city. And for years, many airports have been slow to adopt measures that go beyond the minimum requirements.
U.S. airlines emitted about 418 billion pounds of carbon dioxide in 2007, according to the Air Transport Association, the airline industry trade group.
Airports have been spending hundreds of millions in terminal facilities that are esthetically pleasing but are not configured to conserve energy. Because of the perilous situation in airlines, airports call for quick return on investment funds. Occasionally the return on investment on these (environmental) projects is not adequate enough for the airport.
However, 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.
However, this green revolution is nothing new as some green efforts have been around for ages. Some examples of these include, on-site compressed natural gas fueling stations, glass walls for increasing the amount of natural light, electrical connections at aircraft gates, lower-wattage bulbs, recycled building materials and water-conserving vegetation are standard environmental practices at many airports.
The more reformist airports are eagerly accepting other experimental and groundbreaking green projects. Some projects, such as switching to more effective light bulbs, call for little or no investment funds. Others - such as efficient HVAC systems and installing electrification systems at gates - are costly projects that are funded with their own operations budgets, government grants or as part of new construction costs.
Many airports are also utilizing the large plots they have available for experimenting with alternative energy. For example, the Denver International and Fresno Yosemite recently installed solar panels in hopes of generating enough energy to save on their electricity bills.
In the case of Denver, the 9,200 panels installed, each equipped with sensors and measuring 3 feet by 5 feet, will be generating around three million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, the equivalent of about half the energy used to run the airport's people-mover rail system.
Furthermore, the airport did not even to pay for the $15 million cost, as its land contribution entitled it to energy credits with a local utility company.
Fresno Yosemite's 11,700 solar panels, installed in July 2008, could provide up to 40% of the airport facilities' daily electrical needs, the airport says.
Some green measures require little capital investment and are aimed more at changing business practices. Seattle-Tacoma, the home airport for Starbucks' headquarters, requires all coffee grounds served by concessions, about 143 tons a year, to be recycled and trucked to a local facility for composting.
The airport also will install garbage and recycling compactors later in the fall and will begin weighing trash and charging concessionaires by the pound for removal. The airport will not charge for hauling recycled waste.
Green practices are also seeping into the airfield. Boston Logan will be the first U.S. airport to reduce toxic emissions by using runway asphalt heated at a lower temperature - 250 to 275 degrees, up to 75 degrees lower than is required for traditional "hot mix" asphalt.
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