The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) is pleased to release the organization’s 2021-2022 Sustainability Report. The Sustainability Report serves as a useful barometer for San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) relationship to the environment, the traveling public, its stakeholders, and the greater San Diego community.
“As the gateway to our region, San Diego International Airport must demonstrate leadership along the three pillars of sustainability – environmental, social, economic – with the goal of thoughtful stewardship of the region’s treasures and resources,” said Kimberly Becker, Airport Authority President and CEO. “The Airport Authority is the collective engine of our sustainability efforts. This engine enables us to keep pace with a world that is in constant motion and a state of change, and it powers our steadfast commitment to fulfilling our sustainability goals. We keep this engine running efficiently through an unwavering focus on strategy and fiscal prudence, which are hallmarks of the Airport Authority team.”
The report is organized into three sections: Environmental, Social, and Economic. The Environmental Sustainability section focuses on ways in which the Airport Authority is achieving carbon neutrality, serving as water stewards, pursuing energy efficiency and innovation, working towards clean, accessible transportation, zero waste, protecting biodiversity, building resilience for future climate conditions, and addressing aircraft noise. The Social Sustainability section reviews ways in which the Airport Authority focuses on the customer experience, employee diversity, recruitment, retention, and training, and regional and industry leadership. The Economic Sustainability section focuses on ways in which the Airport Authority optimizes facilities, enhances revenue, reduces expenses, drives the regional economy through small business, and plans for the future.
The yardsticks for measuring progress include the Airport Authority’s Organizational Strategic Plan (OSP), which sets forth goals and strategies for the next five years; and its Sustainability Management Program (SMP), which provides a framework for creating a more enduring and resilient airport. Additionally, the Airport Authority uses the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 guidelines in the production of the report. The index lists the environmental, social, and economic criteria that the GRI guidelines suggest, as well as certain specific criteria from the GRI Airport Operators Sector Supplement. The report was developed following the GRI G4’s “Core” standards. New this year, the Airport Authority included the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
