September 13th, 2010 
Tushar Mathur 
Denver International Airport by a writer afoot
It can be tough to justify airline travel if you’re concerned about the environment. After all, the sheer amount of fuel used up by an airplane is something of concern to green-minded people. However, the airline industry is working hard to get greener. They may not be perfect, yet, but they’ve definitely come a long way. Ease your green conscience by booking your flights through some of the world’s greenest airport.
Ten of the leading green airports in the world are:
- Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, Panama City Beach, Florida. This is one of the newest green buildings in the world. Green characteristics include:
- Recycled materials used in construction
- Automated lighting and faucets to reduce energy waste
- Extensive use of natural lighting
- Cutting-edge efficiency in heating and cooling
- Landscaping done with local native plants to reduce water waste
- Logan International Airport, Boston. Massachusetts. This airport is one of the twenty busiest airports in the world so it’s important that it strive to reduce its waste. So far, it’s been succeeding. Green features include:
- 1st U.S. airport to use an environmentally friendlier runway material
- LEED certified terminals
- Roofing membrane and storm water filtration to counteract the “heat island” effect
- Water-efficient plumbing and irrigation
- Energy-efficient lighting and use of natural lighting where possible
- Construction waste recycling
- Use of recycled local materials in constructing the building
- Purchase of renewable energy credits to offset waste
- High percentage of staff using public transportation to get to work
- Denver International Airport, Denver, Colorado. This airport uses renewable energy resources and innovative ideas to be one of the world’s greenest airports.
- Development of world’s greenest parking lot
- On-site composting
- Extensive use of solar panels for generating solar electricity
- Development of an environmental management system to oversee eco-issues
- Regular recycling of more than 19 on-site materials
- Use of energy-efficient LCD screens in computing and monitors
- Zurich Airport, Switzerland. The most notable green feature of this airport is a nature conservation zone that it has located between two of its runways. Other green characteristics include:
- An on-site compressed-natural-gas station
- Use of rainwater to flush airport toilets
- Solar cells
- Geothermal energy for heating and cooling
- Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport, Texas.This airport is ranked number 9 in the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the Top 20 Local Government largest green power purchasers. It purchases wind power and other green power to counteract its use carbon dioxide emissions.
- Stevens Point Airport, Stevens Point, Wisconsin.Not all of the world’s greenest airports are large airports. Small local airports like this one are also making an effort. Stevens Point has the greenest hangar in the Midwest. Its features include solar panels and a geothermal heat pump.
- Bob Hope Airport, Burbank, California.Another small airport with a great green hangar is Bob Hope Airport. This hangar actually uses solar panels to generate even more power than it uses each year. It was built with primarily recycled materials and is a highly water-efficient building.
- San Francisco International Airport, California. Another California airport that’s generating a lot of solar power is SFO. The solar panels atop terminal three generate all of the power needed by that terminal. Some other notable green features of this large airport include:
- Airport kiosks selling carbon offsets
- The first green car rental program in the U.S.
- Energy efficient lighting and machinery
- Plans for hydration stations and organic local food options
- Munich Airport, Germany. This airport is making efforts to be entirely carbon neutral by 2020. Plans include sustainable construction with 40% reduction in CO2 emissions, energy-saving lighting around airport ramps and green landscaping.
- East Midlands Airport, England. This airport has made the top of eco-friendly airport lists more than once. This is because it has an eco-friendly pier that uses ground-heating pumps, water recycling and wind catchers. They also have some great future plans include new wind turbines, green transportation options, wildlife walks around the airport and increased on-site recycling.
Sujan Patel has been writing about the travel industry for over 4 years and is currently the head blogger for Airport Parking, an up and coming travel blog.
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