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1 Sustainability has drawn a great deal of attention in the past few years as airports and many other industrial and commercial facilities have begun to consider taking steps beyond simple environmental compliance. Sustainability has offered these groups an approach for meeting environmental requirements that reduce costs while also reflecting the values of their organizations, their customers, and their local communities. The first movers among these organizations have identified processes, designs, technologies, and equipment that have suc- cessfully met these multiple goals. These strategies are now ripe for widespread acceptance. TRBâs ACRP established Project 02-22, âIncorporating Sustainability into Traditional Airport Projectsâ to capitalize on that opportunity. As a result of this research, this guidebook and accompanying evaluation tool, the Airport Sustainability Assessment Tool (ASAT), were developed to allow users to assess and judge what practices would be most applicable and useful for their individual airport situations/ environments, and also eliminate the need to research all relevant materials on their own time and at their own expense. The guidebook also provides a reference for understanding the terminology specific to green initiatives within an airport setting. The results of this research show that there are many opportunities for applying principles of sustainability in all areas of airport operation: airside, landside, terminals, and hangars. In the case of new buildings, runways and taxiways, maintenance facilities, and concessions, designs can easily include various sustainable approaches. Sustainability can also be applied as a component of retrofit and repair activities. While there are many beneficial opportuni- ties for incorporating sustainable practices within the planning and design phases of an air- port development project, there may be even more opportunities to consider in equipment replacement, operation, and maintenance. Furthermore, the expense of green technologies, which may often be perceived as a detriment to implementation due to higher upfront costs than traditional systems, often produce lower life-cycle costs as compared to traditional systems; and in some cases, such as balanced earthwork plans, significant cost savings can be generated when sustainable practices are incorporated instead of traditional practices. This guidebook and accompanying Excel-based, interactive decision-making tool, ASAT, were designed to assist airport decision makers to identify and assess sustainable practices that could potentially be incorporated into traditional airport projects within their unique operating environments. Guidebook for Incorporating Sustainability into Traditional Airport Projects S U M M A R Y
