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The National Academies

ACRP 02-30 [Completed]

Enhancing the Airport-Industry SAGA Website

  Project Data
Funds: $846,320
An additional $74,823 is available to complete final tasks subject to ACRP approval.
Research Agency: CDM
Principal Investigator: Kristin Lemaster
Effective Date: 7/18/2011
Completion Date: 6/30/2017

BACKGROUND

There is increased attention and interest toward sustainable practices and incorporating them into airport planning, construction, and everyday operations. Many airport operators have made commitments to be more sustainable through a variety of mechanisms, including policy statements, adoption of goals, measuring and reporting, and development of airport-specific sustainability guidelines. Airports have implemented myriad sustainable practices focused on improving their environmental, economic, and social viability. Many airports, however, do not have the staff expertise or resources available to look for and learn about the sustainable practices that may be applicable at their airport. To assist airport operators looking to undertake a sustainability program or incorporate sustainable practices into their projects and operations, Airports Council International-North America, the Airport Consultants Council, the American Association of Airport Executives, the Air Transport Association, and the Federal Aviation Administration established the Sustainable Aviation Guidance Alliance (SAGA) in late 2008. SAGA collected information on hundreds of airport sustainability initiatives that have been employed by airports across the United States, Canada, and internationally and used that information to develop a comprehensive searchable database and accompanying guidance document that can assist airport operators in planning, implementing, and maintaining sustainability programs. The SAGA database was launched in October 2009 and is now available online at www.airportsustainability.org. The current database provides a good resource for airports looking to improve their sustainability. However, because SAGA has been a purely volunteer effort of association, airport, and consultant experts in sustainability, the resources are not available to provide additional supporting information that could make the database of practices a more valuable tool. The database provides a list of hundreds of sustainable practices, but little supporting material or resources to consult for additional information. As an example, one practice included is “Develop an Energy Master Plan for the organization's facilities.” The database would prove more useful if it also described what an energy master plan entails; the associated costs/benefits; and links, cites, or contacts for additional information.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this research are to: (1) improve and enhance the SAGA website and (2) provide recommendations for maintaining and updating the SAGA website and its sustainable practices contents over time. Improvements and enhancement to the SAGA website should include updating existing sustainable practices data--including new practices--and identifying, vetting, and populating additional supporting information for each of the sustainable practices provided.

STATUS

Research is complete.  The SAGA website was transferred to the DFW Airport.  It can be accessed at: https://airportsustainability.org/

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