Examining Sustainability

“Also, because you’re demolitioning so much stuff you’re pulling out materials that can be recycled. We just had a briefing to our board last month. Just in the one section of one terminal, 70 percent complete with the demo, and they’ve already recycled 499 tons of metal and carpet and other materials that’s not going to a landfill. It’s actually resold and is providing a direct financial benefit back to the airport, some $260,000 or so.

On what surfaces in discussions with other airports about sustainability ...

“A lot of times we’re preaching to the choir, particularly those of us at larger airports. So one of the challenges we’ve had is with reaching out to the medium hub and smaller airports.

Energy efficiency is one I get tapped for a lot. It has tended to be underexploited at a lot of airports, in my opinion, because of the governance structure.

For example, a consultant I know did some work at Phoenix Sky Harbor. The airport people there never saw the utility bills because they went to accounts receivable in downtown Phoenix because it’s a city-owned airport. Then they come to a conference and hear me saying how much money we’ve saved.

“One thing we’re seeing more and more in the conversation is around the topic of collaboration and partnering. How do you partner to advance things with your tenants?”