San Diego Airport and e-cars embrace Earth Day

In an eye catching display of energy conservation and support for Earth Day 2010, San Diego International Airport (SAN) rolled out some of its fleet of all electric e-cars, and lined them up at the west end of Terminal 1 last Wednesday, April 14, from Noon to 1:00 p.m., part of a month long series of consciousness raising events on the environment.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) which manages and operates the facility, owns 14 all electric vehicles, costing between $8,000 to $11,000 for each one. In addition, the Authority also has several other alternative fuel vehicles in its employee fleet, with more than 35% of them comprised of Electric, Hybrid, CNG, or Dual Fuel vehicles that are used both on and off airport premises.

PHOTO CAPTIONS: (ABOVE LEFT) Ryan Hall, San Diego Int'l Airport's Manager of Stagic Planning as Bonita Bin (Photo by Joel Siegfried); (BELOW RIGHT) One of San Diego Airport's 10 Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) (Photo by Joel Siegfried);  (BELOW LEFT) Marion Phelps, an Administrative Assistant with ther Airport's Environmental Affairs Department seated in an e-car (Photo by Joel Siegfried);  (BELOW CENTER) Some of San Diego Airport's GEM e-cars (Photo courtesy of San Diego International Airport);  (BELOW RIGHT LOWER 1) Steve Shultz by Big Belly Solar-Powered Trash and Recycling Compactor (Photo by Joel Siegfried); (BELOW LEFT LOWER) Darlene Nelson (left), Administrative Assistant, Authority Facilities Development Department and Omneya Salem (right), Project Engineer, Authority Facilities Development Department by Taylor-Dunn electric utility vehicle (Photo by Joel Siegfried); (BELOW RIGHT LOWER 2) Official Earth Week logo, by the 1970 Earth Week Committee of Philadelphia (Wikipedia / Common Usage - Public Domain); (BELOW LEFT BOTTOM) David Niccum, Plumber, Authority Facilities Management Department by Taylor-Dunn electric utility vehicle (Photo by Joel Siegfried)

A video follows this article with actor Ed Bagley, Jr. at the 2009 San Diego Earth Day event.

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Not only do the electric vehicles lower the airport's carbon footprint, but they also save money. According to Steve Shultz, the airport's Deputy Director for Public & Community Relations,
"With the electric cars alone, we would estimate we have cut our fuel cost by almost 80%. It takes $0.65 in electricity to run an e-car for 30 miles.  It would cost about $3.00 in gasoline to run a gasoline powered car that averaged 30 miles per gallon the same distance."

The e-cars consist of 10 Chrysler Group Global Electric Motorcars LLC (GEM) vehicles that either seat two or four passengers, and one which is a two-passenger short-bed truck, plus 4 Taylor-Dunn electric utility vehicles that either carry two passengers with a cargo box or two passengers with a flat-bed.

Energy savings from the e-cars are but a small yet highly visible way rigorously used by the airport to promote its environmentally friendly "green" strategy. We asked Mr. Shultz to elaborate further. His remarks are given below in bold type.

Q. What other "green" measures are being implemented by San Diego International Airport?

"There are many. I'll name some of them:

Developed a corporate culture that provides for paperless electronic formats for virtually all communication within and between departments and with outside entities;

Deployed a document processing centers throughout shared work areas that are computer-network accessible and feature double-sided printing and copying, document scanning and electronic mailing capacity;

Mandated office paper waste reduction procedures and environmentally preferable purchasing procedures;

Instituted an Integrated Pest Management Program to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides, as well as a Green Waste Reduction and Xeriscape Program that reduces landscape irrigation;

Innovated one of the first airport programs in the US to utilize sustainable energy-saving LED lighting for airfield navigation lights for lighted aircraft guidance signs, taxiway edge lights, and runway guard lights;

Instituted energy conservation efforts that have saved the Authority more than $500,000 in reduced energy costs for 2009 in comparison to 2008;

Installed ultra-low flow fixtures through the airport that have resulted in a 70,000-100,000 gallon per day reduction in water use at the airport;

Implemented a commingled/single-stream recycling program that saved the Authority an estimated $35,000 in 2009 and has been recognized several times as a Recycler of the Year by the City of San Diego;

Placed signs and displays throughout the airport terminals directing the traveling public to the numerous recycling bins throughout the airport;

Expanded recycling efforts to include food waste from vendors and concessionaires;

Deployed a Big Belly Solar-Powered Trash and Recycling Compactor, itself made of recycled materials, that uses renewable energy to compact trash in one-half of the unit and collect recyclable plastic bottles, newspapers, glass and other materials in other half of the unit."

Q. As Earth Day is actually celebrated each year on April 22, will there be any other events on that day at SDIA?

"Starting today and through next week, we will have special Earth Day related posts on our employee blog, the Ambassablog and Facebook Fan Page. The day after Earth Day, Friday, April 23, the Authority will hold an Electronic Waste Collection Event only for those who work at the airport, where any of the 5,000 folks, including our employees, airline staff, TSA, and concessionaires, can bring used computers, printers, fax machines, TVs, stereos, cell phones, microwaves, etc. to ensure that they are properly recycled and disposed."

Q. Would you care to make any additional comments on how your agency supports Earth Day and encourages others to be more aware of the environment?

"The Authority has dedicated the month of April to Earth Month.  Our intranet webpage announces all the Earth Month activities, the Electric Car Show; a Lunch-hour Movie Matinee featuring a National Geographic film entitled “The Human Footprint”, which details the impact a single human as on the earth’s resources over a lifetime; the Electronic Waste Collection Event; and the promotion of Earth Day in Balboa Park on April 18 and the Creek-to-Bay neighborhood cleanup events happening county-wide on April 24.  We are also sending a weekly email to Authority staff with tips on how to be eco-friendly at work and at home."

Q. That's very impressive. Thank you Mr. Shultz.

"You're welcome, and please encourage your readers to "think green."

Mr. Shultz was a delegate to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which met in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009 between December 7-18. He has written extensively about environmental concerns in his blog, Journey from Copenhagen.

Earth Day is an annual worldwide event celebrated in many countries. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin 40 years ago as an environmental teach-in in 1970.

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