7 November 2010
Heathrow Airport’s efforts to tackle its contribution to cutting carbon emissions has been recognised with an award from the airports industry’s trade body, Airports Council International (ACI) Europe. The Airport Carbon Accreditation Scheme (ACAS) is the European standard for CO2 management and a spokesman for the airport said that Heathrow’s success would be a major boost to Government plans to improve international links and meet strict EU environmental targets.
The airport has invested millions of pounds in environmentally friendly air-conditioning and lighting systems that dim down when areas are unoccupied. The new £2 billion state of the art Terminal 2 will also maximise natural light, similar to Terminal 5, meaning passengers get a brighter experience.
Smart metering has also been implemented across the airport to allow Heathrow to manage usage in energy intensive baggage systems. While Heathrow Airport is unable to control emissions from aircraft in flight, taxi times have been cut by 30%, helping reduce the length of time engines are powered up while on the ground. During the last year 131,000 tonnes of CO2 have been saved through these changes.
The ACAS rates Heathrow Airport at Level 3 ‘optimisation’ – the highest level of performance achievable without offsetting emissions.
http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/39519-Heathrow-helps-fliers-cut-carbon-footprint