Environment

As a part of the new Terminal Area Improvement Program, SJC eliminated the need for traffic signals by building direct on/off ramps and grade separations at several locations on Airport roadways. The one-way Airport Boulevard/Terminal Drive loop and the I-880/Coleman Avenue onramp minimize vehicle stopping and idling. The cell phone waiting area on Airport Parkway reduces unnecessary congestion and emissions from arrival pick-up traffic. Overall, the New Airport’s roadway component has focused on improving circulation, reducing delay, and unnecessary trips through the Airport campus to reduce emissions and improve air quality for the community.

SJC was the first airport in the western U.S. to be awarded a Voluntary Airport Low Emissions (VALE) grant by the FAA in 2009. As a result of the $4.6 million VALE grant and the Airport’s modernization program, all 28 aircraft gates are now equipped with “preconditioned air” and ground power that enable airlines to reduce their use of jet and diesel fuel while parked at the gate. The VALE Grant also enabled the Airport to purchase 11 off road electric vehicles for use at the Airport. This enables us to reduce emissions at the Airport and improve air quality in the community.

SJC is committed to ensuring access to our terminals through all forms of transit. In order to provide convenient public transportation to staff and travelers SJC works with VTA to subsidize a shuttle bus, The Airport Flyer (VTA #60), connects riders to the San Jose Metro Light Rail, Santa Clara Caltrain Station and Milpitas Transit Center.

SJC incentivizes the use of public transit for Airport staff and tenants in an effort to reduce green house gas emissions. The airport provides free VTA transit passes to 200 Airport employees and approximately 1,300 tenant and city employees who work at the Airport. Bicycling to work is also encouraged. The new construction included improvements on the bicycle paths on the Guadalupe and 20 bike parking spaces for staff who bike to work or customers who bike to the Airport.

By providing this public service SJC helps to reduce emissions from private transit. The Airport Flyer connection ultimately casts its web throughout the Bay Area where connections of the VTA, Caltrain System and Milpitas Transit Center travel.

SJC has a comprehensive Alternative Fuels Program (AFP) that provides incentives to encourage tenants to convert their vehicles to CNG or other alternative, cleaner burning vehicles. In an effort to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, the Airport converted the entire fleet of airport shuttle buses from diesel to CNG.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is one of the cleanest burning alternative fuels available. In 2002 the Airport installed a CNG fueling station to provide an alternative fuel option for Airport shuttle buses, and taxis. The station also sells fuel for public consumption and pumps the equivalent of over 600,000 gallons per year.

CNG is a much cleaner fuel source than diesel, reducing our emissions by 100 tons of CO2 annually. We will further reduce our impact on local air quality in 2011-2012 with the intention of reducing our fleet of 24 shuttle buses to 11 buses. The combination of the fleet reduction, CNG conversion, and centralization of facilities will ultimately reduce emissions and improve air quality at the Airport.

Through policy we require one quarter of all taxi trips to use alternative fuels including CNG and hybrid vehicles. CNG fueled vehicles emit 70% less carbon monoxide than gasoline powered vehicles. The airport taxi fleet has 91 CNG vehicles and twenty hybrid cars.

According to the United States Department of Energy, using CNG vehicles have the following benefits http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/natural_gas_emissions.html to the environment:

• Reduces carbon monoxide emissions 90%-97%
• Reduces carbon dioxide emissions 25%
• Reduces nitrogen oxide emissions 35%-60%
• Potentially reduces non-methane hydrocarbon emissions 50%-75%
• Emits fewer toxic and carcinogenic pollutants
• Emits little or no particulate matter
• Eliminates evaporative emissions

Out of 300 taxis permitted to operate at the Airport, currently 119 are now CNG taxis. Since 2000, the Airport has only purchased alternate-fuel vehicles. Approximately 25% of the Airport fleet of vehicles is now CNG vehicles.

The Airport replaced its old fuel farm with a new updated fuel farm that began operation in December 2009. This new fuel farm has provided the airport with many improvements which will help prevent negative environmental impacts due to the use and storage of jet fuel.

Jet fuel was previously stored off site and trucked to the Airport. With the new fuel farm, the Airport is able to eliminate emissions from trucking fuel to the facility from off site. Fuel is now pumped through underground pipes which helps protect our air quality, natural resources and prevents road congestion and unnecessary trucking of fuel to the Airport.

Due to growth of the airport and airline travel, additional fuel storage capacity was provided to meet increased jet fuel demands. The new fuel farm has above ground tanks with the latest technology to ensure protection of soil and water and more efficient and reliable equipment. An underground pipeline transports fuel from the tank farm to the new dispensing island with the latest in technology in spill control and underground fuel transport.

Terminal B was designed to meet LEED requirements. One requirement is to use materials and finishes that have recycled content or are harvested locally. Over 50% of wood used in building Terminal B was Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified. Construction waste was reused where possible an overall 90% of scrap waste was recycled including concrete, wood, metal, sheetrock, cardboard, plastic. The demolished apron (the area where aircraft are parked and boarded) was able to be reused in the new apron as a crushed rock base.

Other Recycled Materials Used During Construction:

• Structural steel 80%
• Carpet 35%
• Ceramic Tile 45%

Building material choices are important in sustainable design. A product’s life has environmental impacts associated with each of the various lifecycle stages including extraction, harvest, processing, manufacturing, transportation, use, maintenance, and disposal. Using recycled and salvaged materials can help conserve natural resources while simultaneously reducing landfill waste. Using regionally produced materials helps support local industries and reduces the need for transportation. Using rapidly renewable materials minimizes natural resource consumption because materials in this class have a shorter harvest cycle than typical materials. Using certified wood ensures proper stewardship of forests and related ecosystems.

Building techniques to help conserve energy were implemented as well to lighten our impact. Material used on the new building is white with a high solar reflectance index. It reduces the heat island effect of the large building which will bring ambient temperature down around the terminal area. Another added benefit is energy efficiency by keeping the building cooler and therefore reducing the use of air conditioning on hot days. Our design uses our abundant windows to bring the outside in. The walls of windows provide more comfort for occupants and connection with the outdoors. We save energy by using natural lighting instead of electric lighting throughout the daylight hours.

According to the US DOE buildings use 39% of energy and 79% of electricity produced each year in the US.

Terminal B was designed to optimize energy performance exceeding California Title 24 standards by 16%. Some important elements that assist in this effort include occupancy sensors and a programmable lighting control system to optimize the efficiency of lighting. As well as a central plant for heating and cooling on the Airport campus which uses circulating water and is more efficient than conventional roof top units.

Seventy percent of Terminal B’s energy purchase is green power. This is defined as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low-impact small hydroelectric by the U.S. EPA. This purchase will offset 18,811,996 lbs of CO2 over a two year period.

A 3.4 acre solar array on the roof of the Consolidated Rental Car Facility provides one megawatt or 20% of the power for the structure, which includes car washes and a fueling system. This system reduces overall utility costs and works towards achieving the City of San Jose’s Green Vision goal of receiving 100% of electrical power from clean renewable sources.

Signage at the Airport is more energy efficient and helps customers to find their way easily. , SJC turned to the local firm Silicon Constellations for their thin-panel light modules. Three hundred of the sleek, double-sided signs were installed, netting more than a 70% energy reduction.

Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors where the air quality can be significantly worse than outdoors. The construction of SJC’s new Terminal received a 13 out of 15 possible Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits for Indoor Air Quality. SJC implemented many different measures to achieve this rating to protect the indoor air that occupants are breathing.

SJC has a green cleaning policy that ensures that all cleaning is done in the least toxic manner possible. The Airport uses Green Seal Certified janitorial products (http://www.greenseal.org/index.cfm) to clean restrooms, common area floors and surfaces. The products are plant based and do not contain petrochemicals which can harm the people or the environment on extraction, use and disposal. Green Seal is a non-profit independent certification group that develops its “less toxic” standards for cleaning products with widespread input from industry, government, academia, and the public. By using less toxic products we protect staff and visitor’s health.

The majority of the airport’s hard floor surfaces are terrazzo. Traditionally terrazzo floors are polished with chemicals – a process involving stripping and polishing the floor numerous times per year. In place of using highly volatile chemicals to keep a shiny finish on the floors, SJC’s terrazzo floors have a diamond polished finish, which can be cleaned with soap and water. This eliminates the need to use stripper, sealer and finishes which require more labor and use of products which can contain volatile chemicals. This more sustainable method of floor care addresses the triple bottom line by reducing chemical use, labor costs, and most importantly protecting worker and customer health.

We also reduced our environmental impact and ensured healthy indoor air quality by selecting low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints, carpets, furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

The new ventilation system was designed to exceed the minimum ventilation rates of standard buildings, balancing energy with indoor air quality to optimize efficiency and occupant health.

On June 30, 2010 SJC’s terminal B opened. In accordance with San Jose’s Green Vision, the terminal was built to achieve the standards of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED certification is an internationally recognized building standard which demonstrates a building’s performance across the metrics that matter most:

• Energy savings,
• Water efficiency,
• CO2 emissions reduction,
• Improved indoor environmental quality, and
• Stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

The Terminal B received a LEED certification Silver to help the Airport greatly reduce its environmental impact.