PORT OF SEATTLE
MEMORANDUM
COMMISSION AGENDA – STAFF BRIEFING
Item No.
4b
Date of Meeting
May 24, 2011
DATE: May 12, 2011
TO: Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
FROM: Elizabeth Leavitt, Director Aviation Planning & Environmental Services
Jeremy Webb, Environmental Management Technician
SUBJECT: Special Order of Business: Recognition of the Winners of the 2010 Seattle-
Tacoma International Airport Green Gateway Environmental Excellence Awards
Program
In 2010, Aviation Environmental staff created the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Green
Gateway Environmental Excellence Award Program (“Awards Program”) as a way to annually
recognize Airport tenants and airlines for outstanding environmental leadership. The Awards
Program is also intended to encourage continual environmental improvement by tenants and
airlines and acknowledge the critical role they play in assisting the Port in meeting its
environmental goals.
The Awards Program is designed such that the Port may award one or more awards each year,
depending on the quality of the nominations it receives. Nominations are accepted for any
project, process, or action that promotes environmental leadership and stewardship in one of
three categories:
Environmental Performance
Environmental Education and Outreach
Environmental Innovation
Between January and March, 2011, the Port accepted award nominations for projects, processes
or actions completed during 2010. Nominations were evaluated by a panel of Aviation Division
staff and managers in accordance with criteria established for each category. This panel
determined two nominations in the Environmental Performance category met established criteria,
and demonstrated environmental stewardship and/or leadership at Seattle Tacoma International
Airport (Sea-Tac Airport). Both nominations were selected to receive a 2010 Environmental
Excellence Award.
COMMISSION AGENDA
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
May 12, 2011
Page 2 of 2
2010 AWARD WINNERS:
Alaska Airlines (Environmental Performance Category)
Increased in-flight recycling capture rates from 28% in 2009 to 46% in 2010.
In-flight recycling programs helped increase recycling from 25 tons in 2009 to 106 tons
in 2010 from Alaska’s Sea-Tac flight kitchen.
HMSHost (Environmental Performance Category)
Implemented pre-consumer food scrap composting at all Sea-Tac HMSHost concession
locations, and diverted an estimated 90% of HMSHost generated pre-consumer food
scraps from landfill.
Recycled 70 tons of cardboard, 83 tons of glass, and large quantities of a broad range of
other common recyclable materials generated by comprehensive recycling programs at
Sea-Tac HMSHost concession and off-site support locations.
NEXT STEPS:
Winners of 2010 awards were notified in conjunction with Earth Day, April 22, 2011.
Commemorative plaques will be distributed to award winners during the Commission meeting.
The Port will also acknowledge award winners on banners located inside the terminal of Sea-Tac
Airport, and in a press release to local media and the public.
