Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Nevada has achieved Level 1 certification from the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program.
This level, referred to as ‘Mapping’, required LAS to calculate and submit its 2021 carbon footprint for an independent review and verification. The results confirmed 85,412 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), or 4.74 lb of CO2e per passenger per year.
In order to calculate its carbon footprint, LAS evaluated scope 1 and 2 emissions, such as the purchased electricity, natural gas, diesel and gasoline used by airport-controlled operations. Airline fuel emissions, which are considered scope 3 emissions, are not included in this calculation.
To support its sustainability initiative, the airport has also installed electric charging infrastructure to better support airport partners’ electric ground servicing equipment (eGSE) and made electric vehicle charging stations available to customers in valet parking. Alongside this, it has purchased electric buses, retrofitted its lighting to LED and upgraded technology in its HVAC systems to ensure energy efficiency. Furthermore, the airport has xeriscaped the airport and its surrounding roadways to be more compatible with the desert climate.
“As we continue to see record growth in air travel, we are dedicated to making sustainability a core consideration in all areas of our operations,” said Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County director of aviation. “By taking this crucial step of calculating our carbon footprint, we have a baseline metric to measure future successes.”
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