San Diego International Named Second Carbon-Neutral Airport In North America

Speaker 1: 00:00 The San Diego international airport has met a climate change challenge by earning a carbon neutral rating known as level three. Plus. The ranking means the airport has achieved the difficult task of absorbing the same amount of carbon dioxide as it produces. In fact, San Diego international airport is only the second airport in North America to receive this rating. Joining me is Brendan Reed, director of planning and environmental affairs for the San Diego international airport. Brendan, welcome. Thank you for having me. So what does it mean to achieve this carbon neutral rating? Speaker 2: 00:33 Well, the program is called the airport carbon accreditation program. It started about five years ago in North America and it really has created this useful framework for airports to better track, manage and ultimately reduce their emissions. And when you join the program, you kind of move up. It's different levels, the more, um, milestones that you're able to achieve. So we were able very fortunate this year to achieve the highest milestone, which means that we are reducing emissions under our direct control, uh, influencing others on site that also, um, emit greenhouse gas emissions like airlines, ground transportation operators. And helping them reduce their emissions. And then as you mentioned, we've offset a residual emissions to be carbon neutral. Speaker 1: 01:17 So, and in plain terms, what exactly did you have to do to get this rating? Speaker 2: 01:24 Yeah, and it's been a multi year effort. It started in 2016 we did a really robust greenhouse gas emissions inventory and it sounds very technical, but we had to get a better understanding of well what were the sources of carbon sure. On our airport site, um, who controlled them. Again, there's certain emissions that we have direct control of and then there are certain emissions that we can only influence and it just changes kind of your approach to addressing those emissions depending on that. Um, and so we did that. We've also implemented a number of policies and programs to, again, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Speaker 1: 01:58 So will passengers notice anything different? Speaker 2: 02:02 You know, hopefully they know when they're traveling through the sustainable, uh, the San Diego international airport that is a very sustainable airport. And I think, um, this accreditation level, um, is another significant milestone and step to demonstrate that. So just like we hope that they're proud, that it's a beautiful facility and it's efficient and comfortable. I think we hope that passengers and community members also take pride in all of the accomplishments we have add. Speaker 1: 02:27 So there's not necessarily any change in how passengers will travel or how long planes might be taxiing or things like that. Speaker 2: 02:35 Um, well some of that could come into the future actually is part of our airport development plan. We're looking at ways a part of the project is to improve airfield efficiency, kind of to your point. But as of now you might see things like more electric vehicle chargers in our parking lots. Hopefully you'll see more led lighting inside the terminal and those type of, uh, improvements Speaker 1: 02:56 as part of this rating. The airport worked with Uber and to I. What Speaker 2: 03:00 did that entail? Yeah, so that was actually one of the ways that we were able to achieve this milestone. Um, as I mentioned, we need to be able to demonstrate that we're influencing those other third parties to reduce their emissions on site. So we worked with those rideshare companies to create a really novel program. We're only one of, uh, two airports in North America that has a program where those ride share companies actually have to demonstrate that their employee employing different techniques, maybe more fuel efficient cars or more carpooling to reduce their emissions intensity. And we've had great success with that. And the airport also spent a lot of money on a new parking garage, encouraging trips to the airport by car. How does that fit in with the effort to reduce your carbon footprint? Well, it certainly is the broader, um, approach to ground access to the airport. Speaker 2: 03:49 So, uh, one thing that maybe people don't necessary think of when they think about parking is um, for someone to come and park at the airport. Uh, it's actually fewer trips than having someone get dropped off by a loved one and then that person goes back home and then they come back to pick you up. Uh, and they're probably frustrated. Um, so actually by having just the right amount of onsite parking, we actually are able to reduce that trip amount. That being said, we are working very diligently to improve, uh, other options. So again, we've talked about ride share companies and having them have lower trips, if you will, and lower emissions. We're also doing a lot to improve transit service to the airport in the short term and longterm. And, and one of the, just to the exciting things I'll mention is that in the new year we'll actually be starting a new all electric shell shuttle service for transit riders from old town transit center. Speaker 2: 04:39 Oh. And, and you know, part of, of receiving this rating has to do with the airport's good traveler program too. Can you tell us about that? Yeah. The good traveler program started at San Diego international airport a few years ago and we were trying to find a really convenient, affordable, uh, way for passengers who are interested in offsetting the impact of their flights to buy carbon offsets and carbon offsets or where you're basically investing in a project offsite to reduce emissions. So that program started at San Diego. It actually has since expanded nationally and is in over 13 airports in the U S um, and again, it's just another way, another tool in the toolbox. We're, we're trying to reduce the overall emissions from the airport. Did the airport have to work with airlines to get this rating? Um, yeah. Airlines are actually a huge part of our stakeholder engagement efforts. Um, at first I think I'd want to acknowledge they're doing a lot at the international level, uh, when it comes to, uh, aircraft designed fuel efficiency, but at the local level, they've really helped us convert their ground support equipment. Speaker 2: 05:48 Uh, so this is the equipment that's driving around the aircraft, uh, pushback, tugs, baggage carts. Um, they've helped by converting their fleet to in alternative fuels. So there are about 30% now a low carbon, but in the next five years, that should go up to around 90%. So there are a huge part of this and you know, ultimately how much control does the airport have over how airlines operate their planes? Um, and, and particularly while they're on the ground. Yeah. Um, you know, we really have very little direct control, um, because of different federal and international rules. That being said, for that part that we can influence, we take that very seriously. So one thing that we've done is that all of our Gates have, um, something called preconditioned air and ground power. And what that essentially means is that when the aircraft are parked at the Gates, they actually can plug into our buildings, utilities. Speaker 2: 06:43 Uh, and that's a lot cleaner than burning jet fuel. And T coupled on that, we've actually been able to increase our renewable electricity at the airport to 85%. So that means when those aircraft are parked, they're using 85% renewable electricity. So again, to your point, when they're on the ground, we can do things to, to positively influence their emissions. And there's been a lot of news lately about how much airplanes pollute while a loft. Is there anything this or any other airport can do to mitigate that? Yeah, I mean, this is one of the ways where we're partnering with them. Um, one of the probably longterm strategies that has clearly the best benefit in the long run is um, biofuel for aircraft. Just like we've moved to renewable diesel for, for trucks. Um, there's a push to have more what we call sustainable aviation fuel. Speaker 2: 07:34 So actually over the last year, the airport authority, um, and airlines and others actually worked with the state of California to include sustainable aviation fuel to the low carbon fuel standard. And that's important because there's not a real supply of that fuel locally now. And so the idea is that low carbon fuel standard will actually incentivize more production of that, um, lower carbon fuel in the state. So it's those type of things I think we can still make a positive influence on. I've been speaking with Brendan Reed, director of planning and environmental affairs for the San Diego international airport. Brendan, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.