Carbon neutral status renewed for Christchurch Airport

Christchurch International Airport (CIAL) has had its carbon neutral status recertified by Landcare Research for the period from June 2008 to July 2009. The airport company met the caroNZero requirements for the third year in a row, after further reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating its unavoidable emissions for its operations.

“We are pleased to maintain our position as a leader in this field for airport companies,” said CIAL Chief Executive Jim Boult. “We make consistent efforts to achieve best practice environmental management at the airport, including programmes for storm water discharge, solid waste disposal, energy conservation, and water and air quality.”

Jim Boult said he was particularly proud of the recent Building Management System energy conservation programmes, where nearly 9% of the annual energy cost for the airport terminal building was saved. Twenty six recycling bins were also recently installed in the airport terminal, as part of a national programme to improve recycling in public places.

Further objectives include plans for the airport company to achieve another 5% energy saving for the operation of the terminal, to decrease the amount of waste going to landfill, use 30% recycled asphalt pavement in the runway maintenance programme, and investigate the use of sustainable fuel boilers for heating in the terminal.

Christchurch Airport was the first airport company in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve carbon neutral status for its operations.