Organic Gardens, Bee Aviaries and Goat Grazing - The Latest In Sustainability Efforts at Airports
Here's three things you don't often hear discussed in association with airports - organic gardens, goats and bee hives.
Yet, with increasing frequency, all are becoming part of the landscape or routine operation of airports, and in some cases, airlines.
Just look out the window the next time you're sitting in the departures level of Terminal 5 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. There you'll find what may be the latest and most vivid example sprouting from 2,300 black, plastic milk crates.
Known as the T5 Farm, the 24,000-square-foot garden was started in October by JetBlue Airways. It's part of an effort to promote New York agriculture and add more green space to the airport. In pursuit of that goal, the airline is growing produce, herbs and even blue potatoes in its new garden, which is expected to provide two harvests each year.
And while you can't exactly go out and pick yourself a salad in between flights, the garden's produce is being put to good use. In addition to providing everything from arugula to beets, mint, and kale for some of T5's restaurants, its crops will be donated to local food pantries and used to teach area students about urban gardening. JetBlue's employees are also able to take home produce from the garden.
"It's a great example how you can make a smart business decision and give back to the community at the same time" says Sophia Mendelsohn, JetBlue's Head of Sustainability, noting that the garden is just one of the airline's many sustainability initiatives, and perhaps its most visible.
While it's too soon to predict whether Jet Blue will be planting similar gardens at other airports around the country, Mendelsohn says the JFK green space is wildly popular, and not just among those eating its produce.
"A lot of parents will push strollers up to garden's fence to calm their children and give them something to look at," continues Mendelsohn. And JetBlue employees regularly come and sit in the garden during breaks between shifts, she says.
In yet another example of the unique greening efforts among airports, Chicago's O'Hare is home to the first aeroponic garden at any airport in the world. Located in Terminal 3, the garden is made up of plants growing in 26 towers - everything from parsley, to Swiss chard, lettuce and chives. In addition to providing an interesting visual display, the produce growing in the towers is regularly used in meals served to travelers. Several of the airport's restaurants gather fresh produce and incorporate it into their offerings, including Tortas Frontera, Wicker Park Sushi, Wolfgang Puck and Tuscany Cafe.
At other airports, such as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and Indianapolis' International Airport, hosting honeybee hives is becoming commonplace.
Sea-Tac is home to about 24 hives and some 500,000 bees. One of the first airports in the country to host an apiary, the program was developed in partnership with a local nonprofit, The Common Acre, to promote bee populations in the region and increase their genetic diversity.
The Indianapolis airport opened its two-acre apiary earlier this year, also to support the diminishing bee population and promote food security.
"Our nation's honey bees are dying," says Angela Cain, director of public affairs for the Indianapolis Airport Authority. "They're endangered. It's an epidemic and honey bees are crucial for our fruits and vegetables. So we thought, while we can't save all honey bees we can do our part with our land, and do something to sustain these honey bees. Innovation is a big word for our airport. We're always looking for new ideas, and to be sustainable, to support our community and contribute to the community's sustainability efforts."
All of these efforts combined represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the rapidly diversifying sustainability efforts at airports across the country. Giant solar farms, massive composting efforts and food donation programs designed to divert food waste from landfills, are also increasingly commonplace.
In addition to hosting bees, Indianapolis is home to the largest airport-based solar farm in the world, the last phase of which was just finished a few months ago. Visible as you approach the airport from I-70, the 87,000 solar panels cover more than 183 acres of airport buffer land.
At Sea-Tac, other efforts include a food bank donation program that diverted about 33,000 pounds of food from landfills in 2014. The airport facilitates the food donations by providing dedicated space where concessionaires can store the food and also coordinates with a local food bank that collects and distributes the donations.
"Sustainability has been a key catch word for all airports," explains Perry Cooper, manager of aviation public affairs for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. "It's something we've been working on for quite some time. I think we're one of the leading airports for sustainable practices, from trying to reduce carbon emissions, to recycling, and wastewater treatment."
Portland International Airport represents yet another example of the airport sustainability movement. The facility's efforts include a massive composting program and a food donation program. An average of 4,000 pounds of food from the airport is donated each month. The amount of food composted meanwhile is as much as 17 tons on a monthly basis.
"We have an environmental policy that states that each and every employee should consider the environment in their day to day work," says Lisa Appel, environmental outreach manager for the Port of Portland Public Affairs office.
Meanwhile in San Francisco, a city that often leads the nation on social issues and causes, the airport is maintaining that cutting edge tradition.
San Francisco International Airport has established a bold food policy that tenants must follow, which is designed to support the airport's overall sustainability efforts. The policy includes such guidelines as requiring that displays promote healthy eating and good environmental stewardship, that restaurants and food vendors offer portion sizes that support good health, while also using compostable, bio-resin bottles or paper boxes for all bottled water sales and to the greatest extent possible, use organic agricultural products from the Northern California region.
All of which is good news for traveling consumer, who are increasingly demanding such healthy options.
"We view our airport as a reflection of our region and this region is very environmentally focused, and our guests expect the airport to reflect their same values," says Doug Yakel, public information officer for the San Francisco airport.
And then there's the San Francisco airport's goats, one last example of the unique environmental efforts taking place at airports these days, and perhaps one of the most unexpected.
For two weeks every summer, San Francisco International Airport is home to a herd of 600 goats, brought in to clear an 180-acre stretch of land that becomes overgrown with tall, dry grass. A parcel of land that's home to a few protected species, the goats provide a safe, environmentally friendly way to manage the land, says Yakel.
"It's a very low-tech solution for such a high-tech airport," he says.