San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Releases Annual Sustainability Report
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) has released the organization’s 2020-2021 Sustainability Report, which can be viewed at sustain.san.org. The Sustainability Report serves as a useful barometer for San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) relationship to the environment, the traveling public, its stakeholders, and the greater San Diego community.
“This year’s report traces our journey from the early months of the pandemic when resilience was the watchword, to the early signs of recovery and a healthier, safer future for the region,” said Kimberly Becker, Airport Authority president and CEO. “The 2020-2021 Sustainability Report tells the story of our recovery from two perspectives: the short term and long term. In the short term, we are focused on continued health and safety, sustainable infrastructure development, and economic growth. The short-term strategy will help provide the means for us to realize longer-term benefits in the form of a more diverse and inclusive workplace, improved transportation options to and from the airport, cleaner air and water, energy independence, and climate change resilience.”
The report is organized into three sections: Social, Economic, and Environmental. The Social Sustainability section focuses on ways in which the airport authority focuses on the customer experience, employee diversity, recruitment, retention, and training, and regional and industry leadership.
The Economic Sustainability section focuses on ways in which the airport authority optimizes facilities, enhances revenue, reduces expenses, drives the regional economy through small business, and plans for the future. The Environmental Sustainability section focuses on ways in which the airport authority is achieving carbon neutrality, serving as water stewards, pursuing energy efficiency and innovation, working towards clean, accessible transportation, zero waste, protecting biodiversity, building resilience for future climate conditions, and addressing aircraft noise.
The yardsticks for measuring progress include the Airport Authority’s Organizational Strategic Plan (OSP), which sets forth goals and strategies for the next five years; and its Sustainability Management Program (SMP), which provides a framework for creating a more enduring and resilient airport.
The airport authority consulted the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 guidelines in the production of the report. The index lists the social, economic, and environmental criteria that the GRI guidelines suggest, as well as certain specific criteria from the GRI Airport Operators Sector Supplement. The report was developed following the GRI G4’s core standards.
