Seattle-area maritime and aviation businesses and community partners today earned recognition for outstanding environmental leadership and practices in their operations and programming at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Port of Seattle maritime facilities. The Environmental Excellence Awards celebrate the dedication of local partners to engage in healthier communities for cleaner air and cleaner water and to invest in enhanced energy efficiency.
“This year’s winners reduced greenhouse gas emissions in ground transportation, which has been a long-time focus at the airport, and brought sustainability practices into underserved communities,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Ryan Calkins. “We intend to be the greenest and most energy efficient port in North America because we are committed to supporting healthy communities and environments. Our partners get that connection, too. It’s incredibly rewarding to see their strategies to reduce impacts and increase benefits.”
Aviation Environmental Excellence Awards
Ground transportation is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions behind aircraft at the airport, and a priority sector targeted by Port emission reduction goals. This year’s award winners reduced or offset ground transportation sector emissions and enhanced availability of environmentally preferable forms of ground access mode choice among passengers.
Award recipients Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter and Whidbey SeaTac Shuttle, both small and veteran-owned business, implemented voluntary alternative fuel conversions. Additionally, Lyft achieved reductions in deadheading through an innovative “rematch” program and significant voluntary carbon offsets.
Small Business Award – Environmental Performance
Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter
A small and veteran-owned business, this award recognizes Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter (BKA) for alternative fuel conversations on fleet shuttles at Sea-Tac Airport that reduced GHG emissions. By converting 14 passenger buses from gasoline to propane fuel, BKA reduced carbon emissions by 161 metric tons in 2018. BKA’s propane-powered buses used 51,660 gallons to travel 400,000 miles in 2018 (of 1.5 million total mileage) shuttling passengers to and from the airport.
Small Business Award – Environmental Performance
Whidbey SeaTac Shuttle
Whidbey SeaTac Shuttle (WSS), also a small and veteran-owned business, implemented converting nine passenger buses from gasoline to propane fuel. WSS’ propane-powered buses used 52,969 gallons to travel 350,000 miles, a total mileage of 700,000, shuttling passengers to and from the airport. This ultimately reduced carbon emissions by 164 metric tons in 2018.
Environmental Excellence Award – Performance and Innovation
Lyft
This award recognizes Lyft, an app-based rideshare service, in both the Environmental Performance and Innovation categories for its creative use of technology to reduce current and future environmental impacts, including:
- Innovative rematch technology enabling drivers to immediately pick up a passenger(s) shortly after completing a drop-off, which reduced deadheading and GHG emissions by an estimated 250 metric tons of carbon in 2018 at Sea-Tac Airport.
- In 2018, Lyft became one of the largest voluntary carbon offset purchasers in the world and the first and only transportation network company (TNC) to become carbon-neutral for both company and ride related emissions. Lyft estimates 9,100 metric tons of carbon from Sea-Tac operations were offset during this investment.
Though not considered in 2018 actions or contributing to this award, Lyft’s future plans to reduce environmental impacts are innovative and in-line with award program goals to encourage ongoing support for Port sustainability initiatives. For example, Lyft is launching two new electric vehicle (EV) initiatives in Seattle in 2019 with an Express Drive rental-car program that will add thousands of EV rentals onto their platform for drivers; and piloting a “Green Mode” option where a rider can request an environmentally preferable hybrid or EV car. Moreover, Lyft Plans to begin purchasing renewable energy to cover all their electricity consumption, including EV charging by drivers.
Maritime Environmental Excellence Awards
Community outreach and public education efforts best represented achievements among the Port’s maritime partners. This year’s award winners provided resources and environmental education to minority and historically under-served communities as well as teaching environmental stewardship to students and developing sustainability leaders of tomorrow.
ECOSS and Sound Experience provide invaluable education programs to local communities and students while Pacific Fishermen Shipyard and Electric earned an honorable mention for Environmental Performance.
Environmental Excellence Award – Education and Outreach
ECOSS
This award distinguishes ECOSS for outstanding work educating and serving diverse communities to empowered over 10,000 businesses and community members in 2018, including:
- Providing multilingual educational materials and other resources to minority communities and non-native English speakers.
- Providing spill training and spill kits and collaborating with King County’s RainWise program to enable businesses and homeowners in improving stormwater management.
- Hosting food waste prevention, compost, and recycling trainings to restaurant owners and community members.
- Educating business owners and individuals about toxic household products and hazardous chemicals as well as non-toxic and environmentally-friendly alternatives.
- Organizing volunteer programs, habitat restoration events, and other outdoor environmental stewardship outings.
Environmental Excellence Award – Education and Outreach
Sound Experience
The Port celebrates Sound Experience for its experiential youth education program that reached 878 students in 2018 by focusing on:
- Enhancing environmental understanding of the Puget Sound region by developing hands-on curricula on watersheds, ocean/estuarine features, marine food webs, human impact on the environment, biodiversity, marine animal ecology, natural history, climate, and habitat.
- Developing leadership qualities and fostering teamwork qualities through individual and group assignment and activities.
- Encouraging stewardship for the marine environment, Puget Sound and the local maritime industry.
Honorable Mention – Environmental Performance
Pacific Fishermen Shipyard and Electric receives an honorable mention for its consistent efforts to reduce the environmental impact of operations. Last year Pacific Fishermen implemented sustainability practices that reduce wastes and increase use of non-toxic paints, thinners and cleaning solvents and installed a 7.9 kW Solar photovoltaic array to offset 316 pounds of CO2 annually.
Contact
Kate Hudson | Sea-Tac Airport
(206) 787-4362 | Hudson.K@portseattle.org
