The Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) has recognized Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) for its sustainability work, awarding the airport a Level 3 designation in its Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program. The ACI-NA Airport Carbon Accreditation program, which awards airport efforts to reduce carbon emissions, cited MSP’s campus-wide sustainability projects, including pursuing LEED Gold certification on three major airport building projects; supporting the Minnesota Sustainable Aviation Fuel Hub; installing onsite renewable energy, including geothermal walls and solar rooftop arrays; reducing emissions by Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) fleet vehicles; creating a new energy and building performance manager role; investing in campus-wide LED lighting; and optimizing aircraft descents for sustainability. The MAC is also in the midst of developing ground support equipment infrastructure to support airline efforts to reduce emissions, in hopes of enabling carrier Delta Air Lines to reach its goal of electrifying 50% of MSP ground support equipment by 2025.
“We’re proud to achieve ACA Level 3, which elevates our progress toward reducing emissions,” said Brian Ryks, CEO and executive director of the MAC. “Our goal is to reduce emissions by 80% by 2030 and then to reach net-zero by 2050, and this will require teamwork. We’re thankful for the partnerships we have at MSP and in the broader region. Our stakeholder engagement brings these sustainability goals closer to reality every day.”
“The MAC has made great strides to reduce the airport’s carbon footprint, and we are now 43% of the way toward achieving an 80% reduction in emissions by 2030,” added Emmy Waldhart, who manages the MAC’s sustainability program.
