To celebrate Earth Month, the Port of Seattle announced the Sustainable Century and Fly Quiet Award winners at today’s Commission meeting. The awards recognize customers, tenants, nonprofits, and business partners of all sizes for outstanding sustainability and equity efforts in 2024 and 2025. These recipients showed exemplary work in waste reduction, quiet sailing through the Salish Sea, innovative project management with sustainability as a key component, and intentional inclusion of local and historically marginalized communities into operations.
"It is my honor to recognize the winners of this year’s Sustainable Century Awards," said Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman. "From cruise to concessions our partners have distinguished themselves by building prosperity across our local communities through innovation, inclusion, and environmental excellence. On behalf of the Port Commission, we applaud your ability to do good while doing well."
The biennial Sustainable Century Awards celebrate the dedication of Port partners striving for healthier, more equitable communities. These businesses and organizations are key in helping the Port achieve its sustainability goals set forth in the Century Agenda. The four award categories are:
- Environmental Performance – Voluntary activity with directly measurable results benefitting the environment
- Environmental Education and Outreach – Voluntary activity that increases awareness of environmental stewardship or environmental issues that will lead to future benefits to the environment, economy, and community
- Environmental Innovation – Voluntary activity using creative approaches to identify and/or solve an environmental issue with measurable results
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – Voluntary activity resulting in direct, measurable benefit to historically marginalized communities.
The annual Fly Quiet Awards were developed by Port of Seattle staff and a citizen advisory committee as a way to increase airline and pilot awareness of the impact of aircraft noise on local communities. Fly Quiet encourages airline compliance with noise abatement efforts by evaluating flight procedures for jet aircraft, as well as jet aircraft noise levels, and recognizing the airlines with best record of achievement in the scoring categories.
Maritime Sustainable Century Awards
Environmental Innovation Award – Carnival Cruise Line
After launching their circular economy and waste reduction ‘Our Sea Pledge’ sustainability program, Carnival Cruise Line was able to eliminate over 116,000 bottles and reduce 4.8 tons of cardboard in 2025. They increased waste reduction by 10% during 2024 and 2025, recycling over 25 million pounds of material and reducing single-use plastic items by 50% as of 2021. Carnival Cruise Line exhibits leadership in reducing environmental impacts while benefiting local economies where the cruise line visits. They innovatively collaborate with suppliers to promote sustainable ingredients and packaging, use on-ship bio-digesters to break down food and avoid waste discharge at sea, and donate gently used items to local nonprofits when they reach the end of their useful lives for the cruise line.
“This recognition highlights our teams’ commitment to meaningful progress and positive impact in Seattle and beyond,” said Vice President of Compliance and Environmental Operations Benton Lobo. “We value our ongoing collaboration as we work toward a more sustainable maritime future.”
Environmental Performance Award – Carnival Corporation
Carnival Corporation’s voluntary participation in the Quiet Sound program reduces vessel noise through the Admiralty Inlet corridor between Whidbey Island and the Olympic Peninsula. Vessel noise is a key impediment to the survival of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) in the Salish Sea. The Quiet Sound slowdown period reduces impacts on the ecosystem, fuel use, and greenhouse gas emissions. Carnival had a high participation rate of 100% for their six sailings in the 2024-25 season, and the highest participation rate for all cruise vessels in the 2025-26 season, at 78% compared to 63%.
"Carnival outperformed both their sector and the average of all vessel types,” said Maritime Blue Quiet Sound Program Director Rachel Aronso. “Their participation both leads the cruise sector and elevates the performance across the cruise sector."
Aviation Sustainable Century Awards
Environmental Performance and Innovation Award – Alaska Airlines
The SEA Gateway or North Main Terminal Project, a partnership between Alaska Airlines and the Port of Seattle, highlights sustainability elements in a key tenant-led, large-scale capital improvement project. This award reflects strong tenant support for mutual sustainability goals related to green building design and construction. Key reasons for the award include a commitment to voluntarily pursue and achieve U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver certification, with a potential for Gold-level certification through enhanced energy metering and monitoring strategies; sourcing sustainable materials; implementing flexible design strategies to prevent future material-intensive renovations; and public art design reinforcing connections to nature and the region. Alaska’s leadership prioritized blending sustainability with their vision to modernize customer-facing leased space.
"As Seattle’s hometown airline, we are making significant investments at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport – our busiest hub that is growing to become our global gateway. Our North Main Terminal Renovation Project reflects our commitment to improving the airport experience for our guests and team members in a modern building that also maximizes environmental performance as part of our sustainability goals,” said Alaska Airlines Managing Director of Sustainability Ryan Spies.
Environmental Performance Award – Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines’ voluntary elimination of 12,000 gallons of PFAS-based Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) in their maintenance hangar and their partnership with Port staff and others represents a proactive shift away from using toxic chemicals. This award recognizes their effort to provide safer working conditions and reduce risk to the environment. Delta’s achievements can motivate other tenants to implement similar measures, and special recognition is given to Delta’s SEA Environmental Compliance and Safety Specialist Ruvim Rymaruk for his role in project coordination. This is the first commercial Class 1 maintenance hangar to complete AFFF removal and its associated components.
“This award is meaningful to Delta as it recognizes the way we show up as responsible partners in the communities where we operate,” said Delta’s Below Wing Department Manager Trevor Pickle. “It reinforces our commitment to environmental stewardship while keeping safety and care for our people at the center of our work. We are proud to help set a higher standard at SEA and for the Port of Seattle.”
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award – Concessions International
Concessions International’s intentional long-term partnerships with historically marginalized, underrepresented, small, local, or women- and minority-owned businesses (WMBEs) demonstrates how diversity, equity, and inclusion can complement environmental stewardship. Concessions International (CI) leverages inclusive procurement, local partnerships, and minority-owned suppliers to create a resilient, sustainable operation that delivers lasting benefits for both the environment and our local communities. They are receiving this award for actively engaging their partners in the planning and execution of restaurant operations at SEA. In 2025, roughly 11% of CI’s product purchases came from small, mostly local businesses which make up just over half (53%) of their supplier roster. CI is a minority- and woman-owned family business with origins as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE).
"This award is especially meaningful to Concessions International because supporting small businesses is in our DNA,” said CI’s Director of Business Development Mori Russell Atkins. “Through initiatives like the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) in Atlanta to working with small and minority businesses in Seattle, we continue to honor the values and mission of our founder, Herman J. Russell. From Atlanta to Seattle and beyond, we’re proud to create pathways for growth and opportunity – and we’re excited to continue expanding that impact in communities across the country and globally.”
Aviation Measurement-Based Awards
Greatest Use of Ground Power and Pre-Conditioned Air Systems – Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines earned recognition for the highest use of airport ground power and pre-conditioned air systems with 91% of operations connecting to the ground power system and 76% of operations connecting to the pre-conditioned air system. This helps reduce emissions and conserve power while aircraft are parked at gates.
Highest Percentage of Fuel-Efficient Aircraft – Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines operated at 49% fuel-efficient fleet (up from 45% in 2024 and 40% in 2023) compared to the next-highest performer, who achieved 37%.
Fly Quiet Awards
The Fly Quiet Awards recognize airlines doing the best job at minimizing noise impacts on local communities for operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in the last calendar year.
Airlines are judged using four award criteria: the sound levels of their operations utilizing Port noise monitors; success at flying within noise abatement flight procedures; limiting noise late at night; and adhering to SEA’s ground maintenance engine run-up regulations.
Air Canada and Frontier Airlines are both receiving the award for highest-scoring airlines. They continue to excel due to their new and modern fleets and their commitment to flying quiet procedures.
Air Canada
Top-scoring airline for 2025 operations due to a modern fleet of Airbus A220s and Boeing 737MAXs and accurately flying the established Noise Abatement flight procedures. This is Air Canada’s fourth Fly Quiet Award.
Frontier Airlines
High-scoring airline with consistently lower noise levels compared to other domestic carriers due to their fleet of Airbus A320s, A321s, and A320neos. This is Frontier’s seventh consecutive Fly Quiet Award.
The airline receiving an award for most significant improvement is Icelandair.
Icelandair
Most improved airline as evidenced by a notable 19-point improvement in their Fly Quiet score in 2025. This advancement is attributed to their use of modern aircraft, including Airbus A321LR (Long Range) and Boeing 737 MAX8 models. Icelandair has set a positive industry example for fleet management.
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