Massport Celebrates Earth Day with New Milestones for Sustainability Goals

BOSTON – To mark Earth Day, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) has released its second Sustainability & Resiliency Report. The “Sustainable Massport” report has regularly updated the public on progress made towards the Authority’s ambitious sustainability and resiliency goals and announced new projects and commitments towards a greener future. In 2015, Massport published its first sustainability plan which, in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, made Boston Logan International Airport the first airport in the country to incorporate climate change into a sustainability management plan.

Massport has expanded the scope of this year’s report to include all its facilities including Lawrence G. Hanscom Field, Worcester Regional Airport, Maritime operations, parks and open space, and Massport real estate holdings in Charlestown, South Boston Seaport District, and East Boston.

The development of this comprehensive plan is part of Massport’s larger commitment to staving off the threats presented by climate change and rising sea levels to a large portion of our properties, as evidenced by this past winter’s historic flooding in Boston. There is more to a sustainable future than protecting our properties, which is why Massport has committed to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, incorporating sustainable business and construction practices, utilizing renewable resources and recycling smartly across all of our business areas.

Over the past year, Massport has reached several of our sustainability targets, many years ahead of schedule, including:

• Energy use per passenger is down 26% (2004 baseline; above goal of 25%);
• Energy use per square foot is down 25% (2004 baseline; met goal of 25%);
• Greenhouse gas emissions per passenger have been reduced 46% (2002 baseline; above goal of 40%);
• Some 60% of critical assets (electrical power, diesel fuel pumping stations, telecommunications systems, and public safety including police and fire stations) have been protected from storm surge flooding (above goal of 25%);
• Nearly 100% of construction and demolition waste is recycled or reused.

Logan Airport ranks among the top airports in the nation for its environmental initiatives. Over the years, Massport has made a concerted effort to steward the environment, increase sustainability, and improve the quality of life in communities around Logan Airport. Since 1990, Massport has invested $100 million in High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) transportation to and from Logan Airport, including our Logan Express system and the MBTA’s Silver Line service. Massport consistently collects, monitors, and reports data from 40 different ongoing studies to both state and federal agencies as well as community organizations. These studies include routine monitoring of air and noise pollution at Logan, Hanscom, and Worcester Airports and stewardship of Massport’s Boston Harbor operations. In doing this, Massport has embraced a culture of respecting the role of community advocates and deepening the Authority’s commitment to transparency.

In recent years, Massport has worked in partnership with the neighboring communities of East Boston, South Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop to carry out numerous environmentally-cognizant accomplishments.

• Last year, Logan celebrated a record 38 million passengers all while the total number of flights at the airport was down from 1,400 per day to 1,100 per day. Over 97-percent of the jet fleet at Logan Airport meets the strictest noise standard and Massport has established one of the country’s leading sound insulation programs for homes and schools.
• In 2017, Massport entered into an agreement with the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) signifying their shared goal of reducing the overall environmental and emissions impacts of private vehicle travel to and from Logan. This groundbreaking agreement included several commitments made by Massport to reduce drop-off and pick-ups, expand HOV offerings and electric vehicle charging stations, and study innovations and best practices to overall reduce the environmental impact made by travel to and from Logan Airport.
• In 2014, the Rental Car Center (RCC) reduced rental car bus trips from 100 per hour to 30 by using a unified bussing system, resulting in a reduction of emissions. Diesel powered buses were replaced with a clean-fuel bus fleet and alternative fuel vehicles are increasingly used by Massport, airlines, and cargo companies. The RCC was awarded LEED Gold Certification.

Additionally, the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and Massport have established a partnership to promote and improve respiratory health among people in the community with asthma and other respiratory conditions. 

Since 2004, 63-percent of Logan’s buildings have been built, renovated, or improved and Massport incorporates the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) goals in future projects. Several major facilities at Logan have been LEED certified since 2006, including the Terminal E Improvements made last year.

Another commitment Massport has made to its community and the environment is increasing and stewarding green space. Several acres of protected wetlands surrounding Logan Airport provide an essential habitat for birds, plants, and aquatic life. The Authority owns or manages 33 acres of green space developed in partnership with the East Boston community. The East Boston Greenway Connector includes 3.3 miles of parkland with plans to extend it to Constitution Beach. Piers Park, with its spectacular views of the Boston Harbor and the Downtown skyline, offers community boating, a playground, and landscaped walkway; Massport announced plans for Piers Park II and III in the past year. In addition, this past fall, Massport opened the Thomas J. Butler Freight Corridor and Memorial Park; bringing trucks off of South Boston neighborhood streets, reducing overall trip times and emissions, and creating a new greenspace for the community.

For a copy of the 2018 Sustainability Management Plan’s Highlights Document, please visit www.massport.com/sustainability.