Heathrow has won four categories at the International Green Apple Awards (IGAA) for Environmental Best Practice and Sustainable Development.
The judging committee has further recognised the airport’s combined achievements in environmental sustainability, naming the UK’s hub airport as ‘Champion of Champions’. Run by The Green Organisation, the awards are recognised internationally for identifying and promoting best practice in the field of sustainability.
Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s sustainability director, said: ‘We are committed to running Heathrow responsibly and delighted to have been recognised for our achievements so far. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders, employees and passengers to continue to improve and build on this success.’
Heathrow was recognised and awarded Gold for its work on innovative ‘Pods’, carbon reduction, renewable energy and sustainable transport.
Heathrow Pods is an innovative transport system. The Pods are low energy, driverless vehicles that carry up to four passengers and their luggage from the business car park to Terminal 5. Heathrow Pods provide a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions over buses, and 70 percent over cars. Since they launched two years ago, the 21 pods have operated one million driverless miles.
Carbon Reduction – Over the past four years, Heathrow has introduced several new measures and technologies, such as LED lighting, and invested in Energy Demand Management (EDM) projects to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Heathrow also works with the UK aviation industry through Sustainable Aviation to influence the development and implementation of a Departures Code of Practice to reduce carbon emissions on the ground.
Heathrow’s Renewable Energy Centre – The GBP34m Heathrow Energy Centre facility will provide renewable heat and power to serve new and existing airport infrastructure, integrating biomass-fuelled combined Heat and Power technology into the day-to-day operation. At full load, the Heathrow Energy Centre will offset around 40,000MWh/year of gas and 12,000MWh/year of electricity, saving around 13,000 tonnes of CO2/year around 5 percent of Heathrow’s current annual carbon emissions, and equivalent to the annual emissions of 6,500 passenger cars.
Sustainable travel – Heathrow says that it is committed to developing and delivering sustainable travel options and operates a major car share scheme, the only airport cycle hub in the UK and the only free travel zone in the UK. The Heathrow Commuter team aims to bring in a major behavioural change, ensuring that no more than 65 percent of Heathrow staff commutes daily in a single-occupied car by the end of 2013.
