IAA builds on sustainability successes to help mark America Recycles Day

The Indianapolis Airport Authority’s (IAA) commitment to sustainability is literally ingrained in the design of the new Midfield Terminal at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND). With the Midfield Terminal entering its fifth year of service this week and the community observing America Recycles Day on November 15, the IAA continues to foster sustainability as an important development and operational principle.

“Sound sustainability practices benefit not only our environment, but our bottom line,” said Tim Method, environmental director. “With today’s high energy prices and challenging economy, improving efficiency and reducing waste is especially important to the airport and its partners.”

Recent initiatives at IND include:

• Thanks to the efforts of IAA partner HMSHost, which operates popular IND venues Starbucks, Wolfgang Puck, and Café Patachou, more than 1,600 ready-to-eat snacks and meals have been donated since September to Second Helpings, a community kitchen that accepts donated perishable and overstocked food to prepare nutritious meals for thousands of hungry children and adults every day. The items are distributed free of charge through local social service agencies in Greater Indianapolis. More information about Second Helpings is available at www.secondhelpings.org.
• The IAA has taken advantage of lighting technology improvements and upgraded lighting in the airport parking garage and in the 12-hangar-bay Indianapolis Maintenance Center. These improvements to lighting efficiencies have reduced electricity usage by over 40% and produce a combined yearly savings of more than $250,000, annually reducing CO2 emissions by 5,233 metric tons, the equivalent of removing more than 1,000 gasoline-powered cars from the roads each year.
• Work will soon begin on one of the largest airport-based solar farms in the country. When operations begin next year, an IND-based solar farm will comprise more than 41,000 solar panels, annually producing more than 15 million kilowatt hours of electric energy, enough to power more than 1,200 average American homes for a year. The renewable energy it produces will prevent approximately 10,700 tons of CO2 from being released into the environment each year, which is the equivalent of removing approximately 2,000 cars from the road.
• Three electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations operate daily in the airport garage.
• The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification of the IND campus by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). IND is the only airport to win LEED certification for an entire terminal campus. Certification was won through demonstrated environmental, economic, and community benefits engineered into the campus including utilities efficiency, recycling, environmental quality, development sustainability, and innovation (such as reduced aircraft taxi times that save airlines about $1.5 million per year and very high recycled (27%) and regional materials rate (68%) for construction).

Electronic recycling day at IND In partnership with RecycleForce, a local, non-profit recycling services organization, airport employees and area residents are invited to drop off electronic equipment for recycling on December 12. Any non-hazardous electronic equipment can be accepted, such as televisions, microwaves, computers, and cell phones. Only electronic – not fuel-burning – items can be accepted (i.e. electronic devices that plug in or run on batteries). It is illegal in Indiana to dispose of electronic waste in Indiana landfills. The drop-off location will be located at the employee parking lot, which is adjacent to the airport’s cell phone lot (from I-70 take Exit 68. Follow blue road signs for the Cell Phone Lot).

About the Indianapolis Airport Authority
The Indianapolis Airport Authority owns and operates Indiana’s largest airport system. In addition to Indianapolis International Airport, its facilities include the Downtown Heliport, Eagle Creek Airpark, Hendricks County Airport, Indianapolis Regional Airport, and Metropolitan Airport. IND has received several prestigious awards recognizing it as a leader within its class, including annual Airport Service Quality awards for performance excellence by Airports Council International. IND is the first airport in the U.S. to win LEED® certification for an entire terminal campus, and the airport has won recognition for excellent customer service, concessions programs, and art and architecture. IND’s economic impact in Central Indiana is more than $4.5 billion annually, and about 10,000 people work at the airport each day. IND serves more than 7 million business and leisure travelers each year and averages 141 daily flights to 33 nonstop destinations. Home of the world's second-largest FedEx Express operation and the nation’s eighth-largest cargo facility, IND is committed to becoming the airport system of choice for both passenger and cargo service. For more information, visit IND’s Facebook page at Indianapolis International Airport and Twitter page at @INDairport.