Template revised April 12, 2018.

COMMISSION

AGENDA MEMORANDUM

Item No.

SPECIAL ORDER

Date of Meeting

September 22, 2020

DATE: September 8, 2020

TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director

FROM: Elizabeth Leavitt, Senior Director, Environment and Sustainability Center of Expertise

Jeremy Webb, Environmental Program Manager (Aviation)

Jane Dewell, Senior Environmental Program Manager (Maritime)

Tom Fagerstrom, Airport Noise Programs Coordinator

SUBJECT: 2019 Environmental Excellence and Fly Quiet Awards

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In honor of Earth Day (April 22, 2020), Port staff will recognize winners of the Port’s 2019

Environmental Excellence Awards for aviation and maritime divisions. These awards recognize

customers, tenants, non-profits, and partners of all sizes for outstanding environmental

leadership and encourage continuous improvement by acknowledging the critical role they play

helping the Port achieve its environmental goals.

Port staff will also recognize winners of the Port’s Fly Quiet Awards for airline noise reduction

efforts at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The annual Fly Quiet Awards were developed by

Port staff and a citizen advisory committee in 2005 to increase airline and pilot awareness of

aircraft noise impacts on local communities.

2019 Award winners include:

Environmental Excellence:

• Maritime – SSA Marine, Dirt Corps LLC, Orcasound Hydrophone Network;

• Aviation – Alaska Airlines, HMSHost, Seattle Chocolate, Whidbey Seatac Shuttle;

Fly Quiet:

• Southwest Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, Frontier Airlines.

MARITIME ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The Maritime Division received eight nominations and selected three award winners. The

Maritime Division also recognized two nominations with an Honorable Mention to highlight

notable accomplishments that demonstrate meaningful support for Port sustainability

objectives. Award winners and key accomplishments are described by award category below.

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. _7a_ Page 2 of 7

Meeting Date: September 22, 2020

Template revised September 22, 2016.

Environmental Performance Award

SSA Marine

This award recognizes SSA Marine for voluntary LED lighting upgrades at Terminal 18, making

use of Seattle City Light incentives. SSA Marine:

• Replaced 1,004-1,000-watt high-pressure sodium lamps with 663-47-watt LED fixtures.

• Gained significant energy savings with additional benefits for worker safety, and off-site

light impact reductions that improved conditions for residential communities and

natural habitats.

• Chose to invest in state-of-the-art system to gain longer-term benefits and more

efficient maintenance and operation.

• Achieved: 65% reduction in energy use, 3.8M-kilowatt-hours in annual energy savings,

1.1-year payback (including $795K investment by City Light).

Environmental Education & Outreach Award

Dirt Corps LLC

This award recognizes Dirt Corps for supporting Port environmental, equity, and environmental

justice goals through education and outreach programs for adults, youth, and minorities. Dirt

Corps:

• Implemented a pilot program to teach shoreline restoration skills along the Duwamish

River and Elliot Bay to both youth and adult learners.

• Trained 75 youth and 7 adults in leadership, aquatic horticulture, shoreline restoration,

local history, ecosystem services and impacts, public speaking, salmon habitat and

restoration, and environmental justice principles.

• Conducted classroom and field training programs that include green jobs skills;

ecological infrastructure restoration, maintenance and design; and hands-on restoration

in the Duwamish watershed. Field work included over 20,000 square feet of area and

800 trees/shrubs planted.

• A critical component of the educational model is creating training opportunities that

allow people to learn while being paid for their time.

• All of these projects are done with local community partners, paid Dirt Corps trainees,

and frequent partnership with the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps.

Environmental Education & Outreach – Small Business Recognition

Orcasound Hydrophone Network

This award recognizes Orcasound, a small non-profit organization, for convening 13 member

organizations in the Puget Sound region to deploy hydrophones and document orca sounds.

Orcasound:

• Compiles and shares hydrophone data that supports understanding of communication

between Southern Resident Killer Whales and the stresses of underwater noise.

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. _7a_ Page 3 of 7

Meeting Date: September 22, 2020

Template revised September 22, 2016.

• Hydrophone sounds are shared with the public so that we may all learn about orca

populations and noise impacts.

• Orcasound’s role has helped to consolidate the impacts of other small organizations that

track Orca sounds and noise impacts upon them.

Environmental Performance – Honorable Mention

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH)

This award recognizes NCLH for instituting a wide-ranging environmental program that includes

eliminating single-use plastics, adapting vessels for shore-power, and reducing potable water

consumption. NCLH:

• Voluntarily conducted underwater sound surveys with DVN GL, which was a notable

element significant to the Puget Sound.

• NCLH met SILENT-E parameters, which ensure vessels don’t exceed average-to-

moderate noise levels, for four cruise vessels, three of which come to Elliott Bay.

• Vessel noise reduction is a priority for the Southern Resident Killer Whale task force.

Environmental Education & Outreach – Honorable Mention

Just Health Action

This award recognizes Just Health Action for conducting a community-based participatory

action program that combines environmental and human health principles and directly engages

Duwamish Valley community members. Just Health Action:

• Supports the Port’s equity and environmental justice principles.

• Engaged in collaboration with Duwamish Valley community members that led to the

Port of Seattle’s Duwamish Valley Community Benefits Commitment.

• This commitment helped to establish the Port-Duwamish Valley Community Equity

Program and the Port Community Action Team. Shared goals include community-Port

capacity building, healthy environment and communities, and economic prosperity in

place.

• Conducts trainings across the country, serving youth and community groups, grade

school to college students, health professionals, and county health departments.

AVIATION ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The Aviation Division received six nominations and selected four winners, including two small

businesses. Award winners and key accomplishments are described by award category below.

Environmental Performance Awards

Alaska Airlines

This award recognizes Alaska Airlines for an energy efficiency lighting upgrade project at SEA

facilities and efforts to reduce waste. Alaska Airlines:

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. _7a_ Page 4 of 7

Meeting Date: September 22, 2020

Template revised September 22, 2016.

• Completed a voluntary lighting efficiency upgrade at two airport Maintenance Hangars,

replacing 366 fluorescent lights with 193 high-efficiency LED lights, which:

• Reduced energy consumption by nearly 1,000,000 kWh (70% decrease);

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 11 metric tons;

• Lowered annual energy utility costs by $60,000;

• Partnered with Port to obtain a Bonneville Power Administration energy efficiency

incentive rebate of $175,000, offsetting project costs by 33%;

• Delivered higher lighting levels, improved worker safety, and reduced need to

manage hazardous waste from fluorescent lights;

• Reduced inflight waste by eliminating 22 million plastic waste items (straws and stir-

sticks), and recycled other inflight waste;

• Promoted reusable bottles through “Fill Before You Fly” campaign, reducing passenger

use of single use plastic cups. Alaska partnered with Bonneville Environmental

Foundation to plant a tree for every passenger who brings a prefilled reusable water

bottle on their flight and posts to social media with the hashtag #FILLBEFOREYOUFLY.

HMSHost

This award recognizes HMSHost, an airport Concession operator, for extensive food donations,

donating and recycling surplus restaurant equipment, and continuous improvement using

environmentally preferable service ware and reducing waste. HMSHost:

• Donated 7,594 meals (or 9,493 lbs.) of surplus restaurant food and supplies to the local

food bank including 2,276 meals during closure of their Anthony’s restaurant;

• Donated large volumes of surplus tiles, tables, chairs, and refrigerators from restaurant

build-outs and closures to Habitat for Humanity and small local businesses, including a

small Native American owned business that accepted Anthony’s table tops with plans to

refinish and repurpose for their own business;

• Donated and installed surplus storage racks to Highline Schools Foundation benefitting

local programs in the surrounding school district;

• Recycled an estimated 10,000 lbs. of metal equipment from restaurant closures;

• Installed nitrogen generators at five airport Starbucks stores eliminating nitrogen tank

deliveries;

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. _7a_ Page 5 of 7

Meeting Date: September 22, 2020

Template revised September 22, 2016.

• Reduced waste by converting to reusable plates and compostable liners at Stonehouse

Café, eliminated all stir straws in casual dine units, and converted all on-request straws

to compostable at Re’lish and Dungeness Bay restaurants;

• Continued efforts to eliminate single-use plastic straws at airport Starbucks locations by

voluntarily Partnering with Starbucks to pilot a strawless lid for cold-cups, removing

straws from condiment bars, and switching straw offering to on-request only.

Environmental Performance – Small Business Awards

Seattle Chocolate

This award recognizes Seattle Chocolate, a small and woman owned business and airport

Concessionaire, for reducing waste and using socially responsible business practices to alleviate

hunger in local communities. Seattle Chocolate:

• Switched to reusable delivery boxes, which reduced airport shipment waste by 80% or

3,192 cardboard boxes;

• Donated 54,822 fresh food servings to food banks based on JCOCO chocolate sales at

SEA. Their Pink Umbrella fund uses a portion of sales to fund food donations through

partnerships with local food banks;

• Improved recoverability of product waste by using certified compostable film wraps for

150,000 lbs. or 7.2 million truffle chocolates.

Whidbey Seatac Shuttle

This award recognizes Whidbey Seatac Shuttle, a small and veteran owned business and airport

shuttle service, for completing alternative fuel conversions in their bus fleet, reducing waste and

incorporating employee sustainability suggestions into operations. Whidbey Seatac Shuttle:

• Converted the remaining three (3) passenger buses in their fleet from gasoline to propane

fuel reducing total annual carbon emissions by 164 metric tons, equivalent to removing

35 cars from the road annually;

• Switched to using silica-based tires that improve fuel economy and extend tire lifespan;

• Recycled ~50 lbs. weekly from passenger and employee recycling programs;

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. _7a_ Page 6 of 7

Meeting Date: September 22, 2020

Template revised September 22, 2016.

• Encouraged employee feedback on sustainability measures including landscaping that

improves stormwater quality, providing free electric charging for employee vehicles, and

providing driver training to reduce idling emissions and fuel consumption.

FLY QUIET AWARDS

The annual Fly Quiet Awards were developed by Port staff and a citizen advisory committee in

2005 to increase airline and pilot awareness of aircraft noise impacts on local communities. Fly

Quiet was included as a continuing noise program measure in the most recent Part 150 Noise

Study update completed in 2014.

Airlines are judged using 3 scoring criteria: the sound levels of their operations, success at flying

the noise abatement flight procedures, and adhering to the airport’s ground maintenance engine

run-up regulations.

Southwest Airlines

Achieved their award as the quietest airline among the five busiest airlines operationally in 2019.

SkyWest Airlines

Achieved their award as the quietest regional jet airline at SEA in 2019.

Frontier Airlines

Achieved their award as the quietest jet airline with at least 1,000 annual operations in 2019.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

The Environmental Excellence Awards program offers annual recognition opportunities for Port

customers, tenants, non-profits and partners that demonstrate sustainability and

environmental leadership. Both divisions accept nominations for any project, process, or action

that promotes environmental leadership and stewardship in one of three categories including

environmental performance, education and outreach, and innovation.

ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING

(1) Presentation Slides

PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS

4/23/2019 – Announced 2018 award winners (Item #7a)

Environmental Excellence:

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. _7a_ Page 7 of 7

Meeting Date: September 22, 2020

Template revised September 22, 2016.

• Maritime: ECOSS, Sound Experience

• Aviation: Bremerton Kitsap-Airporter, Whidbey Seatac Shuttle, Lyft

Fly Quiet:

• Southwest Airlines, Jazz Aviation (Air Canada Express), Spirit Airline