The Port of Seattle Commission today awarded the fourth annual Green Gateway Environmental Excellence Awards at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, honoring airport business partners who best champion sustainability. Airline, airport retail and dining tenants received kudos for projects that save fuel, reduce carbon emissions, waste and energy consumption at today’s Port of Seattle Commission meeting.

“We’re excited to honor our airport tenants and employees for creating new standards of environmental excellence in our region and industry,” said Commission Co-President Courtney Gregoire. “We applaud the efforts of our award-winning partners to create and implement out-of-the-box sustainable solutions as we move forward with the Century Agenda and our goal of being the greenest and most energy-efficient port in North America.”

Three companies received recognition for their environmental leadership in implementing a wide variety of projects that range from electrification of ground support vehicles, fuel-saving satellite-based aircraft descent approaches, energy efficient lighting and waste reduction through food bank donations and reusable food service ware.

The award winners include:

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• Alaska Airlines (Airline Tenant – Environmental Innovation Category)
• o Electric Ground Service Equipment (EGSE): Joined the Port of Seattle and Washington Clean Cities to replace 45 percent of the fossil-burning ground support vehicles with electrics, which translates into taking 360 cars off the road and reducing 1,900 tons of carbon emissions.
• o Greener Skies Initiative: Partnered with the Port of Seattle, Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration to develop a GPS-based aircraft descent approach, resulting in annual savings of two million gallons of fuel, a reduction of 22,400 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and decreased noise for 750,000 Puget Sound residents.

“By flying more direct routes and switching from fossil fuel to electric ground support equipment, we’re reducing emissions, saving money and being a good neighbor in the community we call home,” said Jeff Butler, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of airport operations and customer service.

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• Dufry AG/The Hudson Group (Airport Retail Tenant – Environmental Performance Category)
• o Installed low-energy consuming light fixtures and 100 percent LED bulbs during renovation of three Duty Free stores and the flagship Hudson store for an estimated annual energy savings of 52,873 kilowatt hours, equivalent to the amount of energy used by five homes annually, and $5,287.
• o Increased light by 50 percent at the south satellite Duty Free store, with increased sales.

“We are very proud of the continued progress that our team has made across a wide spectrum of green solutions, from architecture, design and construction to recycling and smart consumption in our food operations,” said Tom Kornacki, senior vice president of food and beverage with the Hudson Group.

• HMSHost (Airport Dining Tenant – Environmental Performance)
• Led Sea-Tac’s 2013 food donation effort for the second year in a row, donating a total of 21,790 pounds of food — the equivalent of 335 meals a week.
• Reduced waste at five casual dining restaurants by replacing disposable items with reusable alternatives.

“We are so honored to be recognized for our sustainability and community efforts at Sea-Tac,” said Linda Dunn, vice president of supply chain & sustainability for HMSHost. “Our initiatives at the airport align with HMSHost’s startsomewhere® sustainability program that focuses on the environment, nutrition and wellness, and community partnerships. Our Director of Operations Stacy House has been very dedicated to these activities at Sea-Tac, and we look forward to continuing this strong partnership with the airport into the future.”

Award Background
The Port of Seattle created the awards program in 2010 to recognize the environmental accomplishments of Sea-Tac Airport business partners. Nominations are accepted for projects that promote environmental leadership and stewardship in three categories, including Environmental Performance, Environmental Education and Outreach and Environmental Innovation.

A panel of airport staff reviewed seven nominations for 2013, rating the content against established criteria prior to recommending top contenders to Airport Senior Management.