San Diego International Airport (Submission 3)

CATEGORY: Sustainability

San Diego International Airport

Overview:

The entire team at San Diego International Airport (SDIA) is committed to a program of environmental and organizational sustainability. However, reaching this point has not been without challenges:

• A dramatic change in the corporate culture and the adoption of one of the first formal sustainability policies for a U.S. airport were necessary.

• The establishment of a core team of committed individuals that were willing to lead the organization through the needed changes facilitated the process.

• An alteration in the mindset of how facilities are maintained and operated was paramount and required the development of a new concept in facility management.

The Facilities Management Department (FMD) implemented a life-cycle-asset management program, which focuses on the short- and long-term gains to be realized through the proper maintenance of facilities and systems over their operational life. The process looks at all aspects of a facility in terms of financial, operational, environmental and social impact. Through this holistic approach, the full spectrum of facility and organizational needs are addressed.

A program of retrocommissioning of older facilities has begun in order to optimize the operating systems that support them. Retrocommissioning is a program of examining the operating parameters of building systems and then making adjustments to optimize the system performance.

SDIA has taken this generic process and modified it with significant enhancements that now look at the holistic operation of the facility — not only grooming the physical plant systems but also examining operating procedures and processes within the facility that contribute to more effective and efficient operation and including an on-going performance monitoring process. This program has provided many operational efficiencies, as well as identified needed improvements.

Through a series of on-call service contracts, FMD formed Tiger Teams with specific project goals. Projects were selected based on a total cost of ownership approach, looking at life cycle versus short-term gains. One of the key considerations were those projects which would result in a fast return on investment and specifically those focused on energy and utility savings.

The use of the on-call contracts allowed FMD staff to concentrate on the preventive and predictive maintenance of the facility, which are often sacrificed during project work. These projects included upgraded restroom fixtures, irrigation-system monitoring and control, modernized terminal and airfield lighting fixtures and control systems, and HVAC system modifications and updated controls.

In the first six months, the FMD has tracked the metrics associated with this new program with dramatic results: water saving in excess of 8,000,000 gallons, electrical-energy saving in excess of 1,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) and a monetary return on the program of $654,354. All of these results have been audited and verified and were accomplished without cost to the organization.

We have developed a corporate culture that provides for and requests the use of electronic formats for virtually all communication internally and with outside entities. We have deployed ìdocument processing centersî throughout shared work areas that are computer-network accessible and feature double-sided printing and copying, document scanning and electronic mailing capacity.

We have instituted office paper waste-reduction procedures, environmentally preferable purchasing procedures, an integrated pest management program (to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides), as well as a green waste reduction and a xeriscape landscaping program.

Some additional examples are:

• 99 percent of the office paper purchased is at least 30 percent recycled post consumer content.

• All toner cartridges purchased are recycled/refurbished cartridges that have been refilled.

• All new packaging material purchased is at least 30 percent recycled content, and the airport does not purchase boxes, packing peanuts, or bubble wrap.

• Purchase of cleaning and maintenance supplies made with recycled and/or environmentally preferable materials.

• Elimination of single use plastic water bottles.

• 35,000 pounds of recycled coffee grounds converted to compost.

• 15,500 pounds of recycled electronic waste.

• 85,000 tons of recycled asphalt.

• Restored and reused furnishings versus replacement,

• Chemical-free HVAC cooling tower water control.

• Solar-powered trash compactors.

• 24 of 27 buses have been converted to compressed natural gas (CNG). Our operational fleet now includes 14 electric vehicles, with more than 35 percent of the entire fleet comprised of hybrid, electric, CNG or dual-fuel vehicles.

In-house participants:

Amiel Porta, Terminal Operations Coordinator

Murray Bauer, Director, Landside Operations

Paul Manasjan, Director Environmental Services

Richard Gilb, Manager Environmental Services

Hillary Gish, Mechanical Supervisor

Jack Bateman, Lead Plumber

John Mayes, Electrical Supervisor

Christopher Rose, Lead Electrician

Keith Wilschetz, Director, Airport Planning

Diana Lucero, Director, Public, Community and Customer Relations

Kathy Kiefer, Director, Financial Accounting

Jeffrey Lindeman, Director, Human Resources

Joe Fejeran, Contracts Manager, Facilties Management Department

Wayne Harvey, Director, Facilities Management Department