Environmental managers at Manchester Airport have launched the first in a series of green learning zones to communicate with the 20 million passengers that pass through its terminals each year.
The airport, which has a commitment for its ground operations to be carbon neutral by 2015, has constructed the green areas so passengers can remain updated about the progress being made with their environmental record.
The airport has already this year unveiled recycling super zones, opened its low carbon Concorde Centre and launched a carbon offsetting section on its website.
In February the airport was awarded the Carbon Trust Standard and became the first in the UK to meet the target with independent verification of the airport’s carbon reduction measures.
This work has subsequently continued with the airport signing its service partners up to its Community Carbon Pledge, which seeks their support in attaining the carbon neutral target and asking them to demonstrate a reduction in carbon emissions.
Further projects have focused on adding electric Smart Cars to the fleet and support to bus services serving the airport, which assists in bringing down the carbon emissions associated with travel. The airport was allocated several prototype electric cars as part of a BERR-funded partnership with the airport group sourcing a proportion of its electricity from renewable sources.
Airport chiefs believe the introduction of learning zones will help demonstrate its work to manage and limit the environmental impacts of the forecast growth of the aviation sector.
Tim Walmsley, Head of Environment at Manchester Airport, said: “The issue of aviation and the environment is one that in general still splits the opinion of the public, the decision makers and the media.
“However, we’ve done much here at Manchester and across our group of airports to mitigate the environmental impacts of aviation using leading-edge research at the Centre for Air Transport and the Environment at Manchester Metropolitan University.
“These zones will give us an opportunity to spread the knowledge of our work to our passengers and staff who share those concerns about the environment.”
The first zone, which opened today, is located in the airport’s rail station on the route between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
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