Israel may soon have its first green airport. The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) has ordered the management of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to draw up a plan transforming Ben Gurion into “a leader in environmental protection.”

The plan must provide solutions for the reduction of air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution. Use of alternative energy sources, treatment of dangerous substances, recycling and green construction are also a vital part of the plan.

Airports abroad are focusing on reducing environmental impact by formulating multiyear plans on environmental protection and adhering to them. Thus, for example, managers at Los Angeles International Airport, where each year 19 million tons of unused food are thrown away, feared that legislators would bar them from continuing this practice.

LAX airport executives decided to develop an experimental program with the nearby sewerage and electricity facilities. The airport ground up the leftover food, and sewerage facilities transferred the mash to huge “digestion tanks.” In the next stage, the methane gas emitted by the refuse was transferred to the electricity facility. “We managed to save $12 dollars per ton on waste removal and earn $18 per ton from the electricity,” said Louis Rigen, the airport’s recycling coordinator.

The IAA has stipulated that these changes must be wrought even while preserving the level of security and aviation infrastructure that are now in place. The panoramic views of rolling hills that visitors currently see as they hurry through the vast airport must also be preserved.

:: Haaretz

Green Prophet has covered the topic of aviation pollution in depth.
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The Great Airways Debate: Biofuels and Expansion
The Great Airways Debate Part 2: Food for Thought

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