The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority is the recipient of two awards based on its efforts to protect the environment.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection awarded the GOAA with its Recycling Recognition Award, and the Center for Urban Transportation Research named Orlando International (MCO) to its Best Workplaces for Commuters list.
“We are proud of our efforts to constantly assess and improve our stewardship of the environment,” says Frank Kruppenbacher, chairman of the GOAA. “Receiving these acknowledgements reaffirms our commitment, as an organization and individuals, to promote positive sustainability practices that benefit both the airport and the Central Florida community.”
The purchasing department of GOAA did a waste audit and achieved a 52 percent recycling rate. The recycling program is one of the initiatives in place to increase the authority’s landfill diversion rate to 50 percent by 2018. The authority was able to divert more than 1,800 tons of waste in 2014.
By being designated a Best Workplace for Commuters, GOAA is part of a list of almost 2,000 employers who offer commuter benefits for employees.
The GOAA created a Sustainability Management Plan in 2013 that outlines the following objectives:
- Reduce waste to the landfill
- Reduce energy use
- Increase the conservation of water
- Integrate sustainable practices into business procedures and written agreements
- Include sustainable planning, design and construction practices into airport contracts
- Minimize environmental impacts
- Reduce single-occupancy commuting and increase alternative transportation
- Continue to be a community leader and partner in sustainability
“Orlando International Airport was designed to be environmentally responsive, and we continue to demonstrate our commitment to pursuing ecologically sound policies,” says Phil Brown, executive director of the GOAA. “Our sustainability goals allow us to maintain our focus on achieving meaningful progress.”
