On Dec. 5, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) was honored by the Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition as "Public Agency of the Year" at its annual awards dinner. The award recognized the transformative potential of Los Angeles International Airport's (LAX) forthcoming Automated People Mover (APM), which is scheduled to open in 2023. The APM, when complete, will connect LAX to Los Angeles Metro's light rail network, allowing riders from throughout Los Angeles County to travel to and from LAX and further reduce the region's carbon footprint.
"We want to thank the Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition for recognizing our efforts to move forward with programs that are sustainable and environmentally sensitive,” said Samantha Bricker, deputy executive director for environmental programs, LAWA. "When the Automated People Mover is complete, it will enable many Angelenos to have a direct connection from mass transit to the central terminal area at LAX without having to step foot in a car, thus reducing carbon emissions across a wide footprint."
The APM, part of the LAX Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP), will connect LAX with a brand new Intermodal Transportation Facility and a Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) Facility across a span of 2.25 miles. End-to-end, the APM can complete a trip from the ConRAC to the terminal area in 10 minutes, with no more than a two-minute wait between cars. The APM's maintenance facility will also operate sustainably, generating one megawatt of its power needs from solar panels.
Outside of the APM, LAWA has worked for decades to implement policies and practices that further promote sustainability and a cleaner environment. Among them is LAWA's Alternative Fuel Vehicle Requirement, originally adopted in 2007 and updated in 2017, which applies to on-road vehicles operating at LAX with gross weights of 8,500 pounds or more (e.g., buses, shuttles, catering trucks, delivery vehicles, and most large passenger vans). Operators subject to the requirement must use alternative-fuel vehicles, such as those powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) or by other low or non-emitting means. Vehicle suitability under the requirement has been determined by an independent third-party monitor.
In November, LAWA and seven tenant businesses at Van Nuys general aviation airport (VNY) kicked off the start of a solar energy initiative to power the airport with clean power. When fully energized, all of the systems combined will produce approximately 44.6 million kilowatt-hours annually — enough to power about 8,000 homes each year. In addition, the seven projects will annually reduce more than 73.3 million pounds of CO2 emissions.
Both LAX and VNY are accredited by the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program, an initiative led by Airports Council International-Europe to assist airports in measuring and reducing carbon emissions against publicly-published reduction goals. Progress towards those goals are verified by an independent auditor.
On the construction side, LAWA adopted a “Clean Construction Policy,” (CCP) which ensures that our contractors use the cleanest construction equipment available on the market at the time of construction. The CCP also recycles demolition debris, which can be re-incorporated into the structures of other LAWA buildings. Portions of the latest renovation of the Tom Bradley International Terminal and the Central Utility Plant were made, in part, using recycled debris.
The Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition also recognized APM contractor Balfour Beatty as "Construction Company of the Year."
