Template revised April 12, 2018.

COMMISSION

AGENDA MEMORANDUM

Item No.

11c

BRIEFING ITEM

Date of Meeting

April 28, 2026

DATE: April 3, 2026

TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director

FROM: Sandra Kilroy, Sr. Director, Environment & Sustainability

Jane Dewell, Sr. Manager, Marine Stormwater Utility

Jeremy Webb, Sr. Environmental Program Manager, Aviation Environment &

Sustainability

Paris Edwards, Airport Noise Program Manager

SUBJECT: Sustainable Century and Fly Quiet Awards

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In honor of Earth Day (April 22, 2026), Port of Seattle (Port) staff are pleased to announce winners

of the Port’s 2026 Sustainable Century Awards for the Aviation and Maritime Divisions. These

awards recognize our customers, tenants, non-profits, and partners for outstanding

accomplishments in the areas of environment and sustainability during 2024 and 2025. Award

winners serve as role models and demonstrate exceptional leadership in their operations or

involvement with Port maritime facilities and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). These

businesses are key partners in helping the Port achieve our sustainability goals set forth in the

Century Agenda.

Port staff also recognize winners of the Port’s Fly Quiet Awards for airline efforts to reduce noise

at SEA. 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.

This year’s award winners include:

Sustainable Century Awards

• Maritime – Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Corporation

• Aviation – Alaska Airlines (x2), Delta Air Lines (x2), Concessions International

Fly Quiet

• Air Canada

• Frontier Airlines

• Icelandair

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Meeting Date: April 28, 2026

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MARITIME SUSTAINABLE CENTURY AWARDS

The Maritime Division received three nominations and recognizes two award winners with the

following key accomplishments:

Carnival Cruise Line (Environmental Innovation Category)

This award recognizes Carnival Cruise Line for their ‘Our Sea Pledge’ sustainability program,

which includes elements of circular economy and waste reduction. They exhibit leadership in

reducing environmental impacts while benefiting local economies where the cruise line visits. As

stated by Benton Lobo, Vice President, Compliance and Environmental Operations: “This

recognition highlights our teams’ commitment to meaningful progress and positive impact in

Seattle and beyond. We value our ongoing collaboration as we work toward a more sustainable

maritime future.” Their achievements include:

• Collaboration with suppliers to promote sustainable ingredients, packaging and

production that reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions, with closed-loop packaging

projects that substitute totes for glass bottles. This has led to eliminating over 116,000

bottles and reducing 4.8 tons of cardboard in 2025.

• Food waste, measured from a 2019 baseline, has decreased from 2.71 pounds per person

to 1.28 pounds per person. This decrease is associated with use of on-ship bio-digesters

to break down food waste using aerobic digestion. Food waste disposal is allowed under

maritime laws, which leads to millions of pounds of unprocessed food being discharged

into oceans. Carnival’s practice of breaking down food waste avoids this discharge and

reduces the methane and carbon dioxide emissions associated with food waste

decomposition at sea.

• Waste reduction between 2024 and 2025 increased by 10%, with the cruise line recycling

over 25 million pounds of material.

• Single-use plastic items were reduced by 50% as of 2021, with ongoing reductions

associated with replacement using reusable items.

• Gently used items, such as bedding, hygiene items, clothing, and furniture, are donated

to local communities when they reach end of useful life for the cruise line. In 2025, over

60 donations to local community non-profits were completed.

Carnival Corporation (Environmental Performance Category)

This award recognizes Carnival Corporation for their voluntary participation in the Quiet Sound

program, which reduces vessel noise through vessel slowdowns in the Admiralty Inlet corridor

between Whidbey Island and the Olympic Peninsula. Underwater noise is recognized as a key

impediment to the survival of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) in the Salish Sea, in

addition to low availability of Chinook salmon and poor water quality. Cruise season overlaps

with SRKW presence in the Salish Sea during September and October and the Quite Sound slow-

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Meeting Date: April 28, 2026

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down period begins in early September and continues through January of the following year. The

ecosystem benefits of Quiet Sound include reduced vessel noise and related impacts on SRKW,

and reduced fuel use and air emissions, which also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Quiet

Sound nominated Carnival and included this quote: "Carnival outperformed both their sector and

the average of all vessel types… [their] participating both leads in the cruise sector and elevates

the performance across the cruise sector." Their accomplishments include:

• Carnival had a high participation rate for the 2024-25 season (100% with 6 sailings) and

2025-26 season (78% with 28 of 36 sailings) in the voluntary slowdown, adding 20-40

minutes of transit time to their sailings. This time is factored into arrival commitments

and communicated to passengers. As compared to other vessels participating in Quiet

Sound, Carnival had the highest 2025-26 season participation rate for all cruise vessels

(78% versus 63% participation) and compared well with all participating vessels (78%

versus 64% participation).

• Carnival shares slowdown success stories with other cruise lines via

participation on Cruise Lines International Association committees, helping

to promote best practices for the cruise industry as a whole.

AVIATION SUSTAINABLE CENTURY AWARDS

The Aviation Division received six nominations and recognize three award winners from

nominations, plus two airlines for efforts to reduce emissions using SEA ground power and pre-

conditioned air systems, and highly fuel-efficient aircraft, based SEA measured operational data.

Key accomplishments of awardees include:

Alaska Airlines (Environmental Performance/Innovation Category)

This award recognizes Alaska’s North Main Terminal Renovation/SEA Gateway project

sustainability, reflecting strong tenant support for mutual sustainability goals related to green

building design and construction. This award highlights the Port’s first tenant led large-scale

capital project recognition showcasing a successful Port/tenant partnership blending mutual

sustainability goals, voluntary pursuit of LEED Gold green building certification, and delivering

sustainability outcomes. Their achievements include:

• Commitment to voluntarily pursue US Green Building Council LEED silver certification and

decision to further pursue LEED Gold certification through various strategies including

advanced energy metering and ongoing energy performance monitoring, Life Cycle

Assessment and embodied carbon reduction (achieving 20% reduction in Global Warming

Potential and over 10% reductions in other environmental impact categories);

• Prioritized materials with optimized Environmental Product Declarations; Sourcing

responsible materials including recycled content materials, FSC certified wood, etc. and

achieving 38% project use, more than double the 15% target;

• Maintaining operational continuity throughout renovation and integrating Design for

Adaptability by implementing flexible strategies preventing future material-intensive

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renovations or physical expansion (e.g. automated bag drops, bag tag stations, and

dynamic digital signage);

• Public art installations integrated with structural elements eliminate material/resource

intensive display construction and reinforce passenger connections to nature and PNW

place making;

• Conversations with the Port’s project managers reinforced Alaska’s exemplary leadership

and partnership in pursuing sustainability efforts while maintaining their vision to

modernize Alaska’s customer-facing leased space, amenities, and other areas within

project boundaries.

Delta Air Lines (Environmental Performance Category)

This award recognizes Delta’s voluntary elimination of PFAS based Aqueous Film Forming Foam

(AFFF) from their SEA maintenance hangar and their team’s partnership with Port staff in a

proactive transition from using toxic chemicals, providing a safer working environment for airline

and airport employees, and reducing risk to the environment. In addition to motivating other

tenants to consider similar measures, this award also recognizes Delta’s SEA environmental

compliance and safety specialist, Ruvim Rymaruk, for his role in project coordination, planning,

and implementation. Their achievements include:

• Complete removal of 12,000 gallons of AFFF concentrate and associated equipment,

which if discharged in an operational mix with water would equal 400,000 gallons of toxic

and harmful liquid waste into the environment;

• All AFFF/PFAS and associated piping and devices were removed and disposed of properly,

completely removing PFAS related risk and impact to airport employees, surrounding

communities, and the environment;

• Extensive planning, proposals/bids, and partnership coordination with Port staff, Delta

Corporate Real Estate, financing, and permitting took place over the past two years;

• Project is on budget and will be completed over the next three months with installation

of a new 100% water-based fire suppression riser system.

• Delta notes theirs is the first commercial Class 1 maintenance hangar that has completed

removal of PFAS based AFFF and associated system components. The only other projects

of similar scope and purpose are hangars operated by the United States Military.

• Delta’s Ruvim Rymaruk, environmental compliance and safety specialist, played a key role

throughout the project demonstrating leadership, technical excellence, and collaboration

with Delta and Port staff. Delta’s nomination included this quote, “…Thanks to Ruvim’s

passionate leadership and commitment to doing what’s right, Delta has set a new

benchmark for environmental responsibility at SEA, while strengthening community trust

and protecting our shared future.”

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Meeting Date: April 28, 2026

Template revised September 22, 2016.

Concessions International (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Category)

This award recognizes Concessions International’s (CI) voluntary utilization and intentional long-

term partnerships with historically marginalized and underrepresented small, local, or WMBE

business partners. These actions demonstrate how EDI and environmental stewardship can work

in tandem – leveraging inclusive procurement, local partnerships, and minority-owned suppliers

to create a resilient, sustainable operation that delivers lasting benefits for both the environment

and our local communities. Their achievements include:

• Actively engaging minority-owned suppliers and small, independent local producers as

core stakeholders in the planning and execution of SEA restaurant operations;

• US Supply House, a small minority-owned and certified paper supplier, was involved in

procurement planning and solution-building to transition disposable service ware to

compostable materials ahead of SEA regulatory requirements. Their input shaped product

selection, sourcing strategies for unique operational needs, and contingency planning

during supply chain disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2019, CI’s

partnership has represented more than 65% of US Supply House’s annual revenue;

• Similarly, CI partners with small independent local breweries including Logan Brewing,

Urban Family Brewing, Stoup Brewing, and Channel Marker Cider who engage through

direct relationships that prioritize self-distribution and local sourcing. These partners

contribute product ideas, delivery solutions, and feedback on navigating airport logistics;

• CI supports small and WMBE participation by onboarding them into the airport

ecosystem, guiding them through badging, security protocols, and delivery processes –

barriers that often exclude small producers from large institutional markets. This

approach ensures that historically marginalized stakeholders are not only included but

meaningfully integrated into the initiative’s execution;

• In 2025, roughly 11% ($537K) of CI’s product purchase came from small or WBME and

mostly local businesses which make up just over half (53%) of their supplier roster.

• Concessions International is also a minority and woman-owned family business with

origins as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.

The Aviation division also recognizes two airlines for efforts to reduce emissions using SEA ground

power and pre-conditioned air systems, and highly fuel-efficient aircraft.

Alaska Airlines (Greatest use of airport ground power and pre-conditioned air systems):

• Ground Power: 91% of operations connect to system, stay connected 68% of turn time at

gate, and connect within 4 minutes.

• Pre-conditioned Air: 76% of operations connect to system, stay connected 67% of turn

time at gate, and connect within 8 minutes.

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Meeting Date: April 28, 2026

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Delta Air Lines (Highest percentage use of fuel-efficient aircraft):

• Operated a 49% fuel-efficient fleet (up from 45% in 2024 and 40% in 2023) using Airbus

A321Neos, A220s, A330Neos, and A350s compared to the next highest performer who

achieved 37%.

FLY QUIET AWARDS

Port staff developed the annual Fly Quiet awards in 2002, with input from a citizen advisory

committee, 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.

Fly Quiet recognizes airlines based on the following criteria: 1) the sound levels of their

operations using four of the Port’s noise monitors, 2) success at flying within the noise abatement

flight procedures, 3) adhering to SEA’s ground maintenance engine run-up regulations, and 4)

limiting noise levels during late-night hours at SEA. Using these scoring criteria, two airlines are

recognized as the highest achieving carriers, and a third airline is recognized as having made a

significant improvement over the previous year.

Air Canada

• Top scoring Fly Quiet airline for operations in 2025.

• Remarkably low takeoff noise utilizing a modern fleet of quiet Airbus A220 and Boeing

737MAX8 aircraft.

• Fly the established Noise Abatement flight procedures at SEA very accurately.

• Fourth Fly Quiet award

Frontier Airlines

• High scoring airline with consistently lower noise levels than other domestic carriers.

• Operate the quiet Airbus A320, A321, and A320neo at SEA.

• Consistently strong performer in Fly Quiet each year.

• Seventh consecutive Fly Quiet Award

Icelandair

• demonstrated a significant commitment to noise reduction and environmental

responsibility, as evidenced by a notable 19-point improvement in their Fly Quiet score—

rising from 650 in 2024 to 669 in 2025

• This impressive advancement can be attributed to their strategic use of modern aircraft,

specifically the Airbus A321LR (Long Range) and Boeing 737 MAX8 models.

• By integrating these quieter and more efficient planes into their fleet, Icelandair has set

a positive industry example, showcasing how thoughtful fleet management can lead to

measurable environmental benefits.

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 11c Page 7 of 7

Meeting Date: April 28, 2026

Template revised September 22, 2016.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

The Port has recognized environmental excellence among its business partners as early as 2010

with the Aviation Environmental Excellence and the Maritime Green Gateway awards. Under the

Sustainable Century Awards, both divisions accept nominations for projects, processes, or actions

that promote sustainability leadership in the following categories:

• Environmental Performance

• Environmental Education & Outreach

• Environmental Innovation

• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

A panel of Port staff review nominations and determines award winners using established criteria

for each nomination-based category. Awards in each category depend on the strength and

quantity of nominations received. The Aviation division also awards airlines for efforts to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions by relying on measured use of SEA ground power and pre-conditioned

air systems, and flight operations data. Ground power and pre-conditioned air detection systems

are not available at all SEA gates (unavailable at A & S gates) and measurements are based on

available data. Airlines with more than 5,000 flight operations at SEA in 2024 and 2025 were

included in the highest percentage of fuel-efficient aircraft use category, as they represent more

than 80% of fuel load.

Port staff will host a celebratory luncheon for award winners on May 19, 2026, from 12:00-1:30

PM at The Conference Center at SEA airport. Staff host the event and invite Port Commissioners

and leaders to attend and present winners with commemorative awards, learn about their

accomplishments, and celebrate with attendees.

Concurrent with award announcement, Port staff will launch a publicity campaign acknowledging

this year’s award winners through Port media outlets (i.e., press release, website, social media,

digital publications).

ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING

(1) Presentation

PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS

May 14, 2024 – Announced 2024 award winners (item #11b)

Sustainable Century Awards:

Maritime: Alaska Marine Lines, Fish Commission/Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Quiet Sound

and Stormwater Controls, LLC

Aviation: Alaska Airlines, Condor Airlines, McDonalds, Concessions International, Delta Air

Lines, Southwest Airlines

Fly Quiet: Air Canada, Frontier Airlines, Delta Air Lines