Perspectives on the Shutdown: Airport Sustainability

Perhaps like us, you’ve been wondering about how the coronavirus shutdown is affecting the natural world, water resources, infrastructure, and the work of environmental advocates. We reached out to some experts in the Finding the Flint Working Group to see what they are noticing during these weeks of cancelled meetings, work-from-home experimentation, and quiet time outdoors.

Sattler organizes clean ups of the Flint River at this site inside of the airport property.

Sattler organizes clean ups of the Flint River at this site inside of the airport property.

The stillness at the world’s busiest airport is noticeable to everyone on the Southside. Besides a reduction in air traffic, what does this historic disruption mean to operations at ATL?

We asked Finding the Flint partner Polly Sattler, a Senior Sustainability Planner for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Her work includes managing the airport’s Employee Commuter program, AERO, implementing Green Infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff, developing a Green Purchasing Plan and identifying opportunities for alternative fuel use at the airport. Polly recently initiated the launch of the Change the Course program for the airport which will restore water to the Flint River and other watersheds around the country. She currently serves as Board Chair of the Flint Riverkeeper and on the board of EarthShare of Georgia.

How are you? What are your days like at Hartsfield-Jackson right now?

Mostly, I have been really good. I think this is one of the most beautiful spring seasons that I remember in Atlanta. I walk my dog each day and have appreciated slowing down enough to really pay attention to the timing and the beauty of the flowers blooming and the trees filling out.

At the airport, non-essential employees have been working from home for the most part since the middle of March. My Division is working on updating our Sustainable Management Plan so we check in at least once a week to work on that project. We have calls, webinars and general business that has to happen. It is certainly a much slower pace.

What have you noticed about how the coronavirus shutdown is affecting sustainability projects at the airport?

Air travel has been reduced by 95%, so there are very limited flights and even less people in the airport. The staff (including TSA, Concessionaires, Dept. of Aviation employees, cleaning crews, police etc.) to passenger ratio is about 25 to 1. The focus is on ensuring passenger and employee safety, keeping the facility clean and running well and managing and planning for what the airport future will look like.

Right now, the focus is on maintaining the airport and we are working on sustainability in the background. We are excited about the new Sustainable Management Plan because it embraces Resilience from the perspective of people, safety and security, and the environment. Resilience means recognizing the changing weather patterns and its impact on planning capital projects as well as daily operations. We cannot keep on with the previous way of business as usual.

Fortunately, sustainability is still happening at the airport. Atlanta City Council and the Mayor Bottoms have passed ordinances and resolutions and created policies that have resulted in Atlanta, the airport and other City Departments making great strides to benefit the environment.

Of course, one of the most impressive efforts is the City’s adoption of the Post Development Stormwater Management Ordinance. This has resulted in the use of green infrastructure methods to manage stormwater. A number of green infrastructure methods infiltrate stormwater into the ground on site versus piping it off site. This helps to reduce the amount of runoff flowing into the Flint River during a storm. It improves water quality by removing sediment and pollutants from water flowing off of parking lots. It also reduces the temperature of the water coming off of hot parking lots in the summer. I have worked to have the airport adopt this method when it is appropriate. With the help of an EPA 319 Clean Water Act grant, ATL recently completed a bio-swale project in the new Sullivan Road parking lot.

Do you think these changes are temporary?

I think some of the changes are temporary. I do think there will be a lot of lessons learned and that the airport will come out of this experience improved.

Any silver linings that we should try to preserve? 

Previously, we were running at capacity and had to keep moving forward to keep the world’s busiest airport going. I believe, however, that this time has given people the opportunity to evaluate operations and processes that were done a certain way because they worked. Yet now, with things moving slower, we are having to adapt, and the situation is providing an opportunity to change without risking vital operations to help the airport become even more efficient.

How can we (Finding the Flint Working Group & partners) help?

I would like to see a regional effort on managing stormwater. We are not isolated in the watershed. As the weather continues to intensify from climate change and development in the Tri-Cities areas increases, there is going to be more strain put on stormwater infrastructure.

It would be great if the airport and the communities near the airport could get ahead of this, work together, and identify opportunities to manage stormwater using green infrastructure. It would benefit the communities by reducing flooding, reducing the cost for new gray infrastructure (pipes) as well as extend the life of existing infrastructure. It would also benefit the Flint River by restoring a more natural flow of groundwater to the Flint, reduce the scouring along the river banks and support the work of Finding the Flint by restoring the Flint River’s overall health.

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Hannah Palmer