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Top awards for Vancouver, Victoria Airport Authorities

Aug. 30, 2013, Vancouver - Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) has announced the winners of the 2013 ACI-NA Environmental Achievement Awards. The Vancouver Airport Authority and Victoria Airport Authority were awarded the top prize in their respective category.


August 30, 2013  By Carey Fredericks

"We were extremely impressed with the quality of all the airports' submissions this year, and the strong competition once again highlighted airports' commitment to reducing our industry's environmental footprint," stated ACI-NA's interim president Deborah McElroy.

The Vancouver Airport Authority's Green Commuter program was awarded the top prize in the "Outreach, Education and Community Involvement Award Category" and the Victoria Airport Authroity received the award in the "Mitigation Award Category" for its work on the Reay Creek Restoration project

Vancouver Airport Authority's studies show that the airport growth rate within 20 years will put a heavy burden on current infrastructure through increased vehicle trips. To mitigate this, the airport launched the Green Commuter Program in 2005 to encourage employees to use forms of transportation other than single-occupancy vehicles. The program includes planning, infrastructure, education and promotion of biking to work though 'Bike to Work Week'. 

Reay Creek flows from Victoria Airport to the ocean near Sidney, B.C., and is an important spawning habitat for coho and chum salmon. Unfortunately, industrial pollutants have made negative impacts on water quality in Reay Creek, causing degradation of fish habitat. Although the airport was not the cause of the pollution, it implemented a comprehensive stormwater management program and developed a long-term restoration plan to reduce concentrations of pollutants in Reay Creek. Construction began in 2012 and since then contaminant loads have been reduced, showing no signs of heavy metal pollutants.

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Award winners will be recognized at the 2013 ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Jose, Calif. on September 25.

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