Birmingham, Al – The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport was honored in an awards reception held by My Green Birmingham on September 5 at the Westin Birmingham. Speaking on behalf of the airport was the Birmingham Airport Authority Board of Directors Chairwoman Gaynell Hendricks.
The Airport was honored in the “Built Environmental” category for its new terminal’s many sustainable components. The Birmingham Airport Authority during the design phase of this project, committed to making a difference in the community with its innovative approach to sustainability. By incorporating sustainability in the Terminal Modernization Project, the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport will become a beautiful facility that saves on energy and operating costs while reducing its environmental impact on the region.
The Terminal Modernization Project has set LEED Certification as a project goal. The airport was designed to meet this goal in numerous ways. One of the key components of achieving this goal is the installation of a high efficient HVAC system. Working hand in hand with a high efficient HVAC system is sunlight harvesting system and process used to reduce the use of artificial light and still brighten the public circulation hallways and waiting areas within the terminal. While maintaining the efficiencies in the building many of the elements for this project are set to benefit the outside environment by mitigation stormwater run-off with rainwater harvesting tanks which collect rainwater to be used in the building to flush toilets and reduce the use of domestic water. Efficiencies in the Airports day to day operations make a huge difference in conserving the earth’s resources. The Airport made a conscious decision to focus on sustainability in these daily operations to include the use of green cleaning products, green landscaping practices, and a recycling program in the terminal for both passengers and airport tenants.
One of final components is that the Airport Authority encourages sustainable practices through education by speaking to civic and business organizations around the city and the industry about the airport’s sustainable practices. More recently, the Airport has made using sustainable or “green” practices as the focus of their annual poster and essay contest to inspire and encourage young minds to conserve our communities and planet’s resources.
