Environmental initiatives in Brisbane Airport

The Brisbane Airport, as Queensland’s largest airport, is often looked up to as one of the benchmarks of environmental friendliness and sustainability in Queensland, Australia, and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. It has made many environmentally focused initiatives, to both reduce negative environmental impacts and to increase the effects of positive environmental impacts. A few of these initiatives are outlines below

• The introduction of Queensland’s first and Australia’s largest 100% electric bus fleet in 2017 made up of 11 buses. Every year the fleet of buses have saved the Brisbane Airport over 250 tonnes of carbon emissions, and are still in service. Not only are they environmentally friendly, but they have reduced the level of noise pollution at the airport precinct.
• The introduction of 6 Megawatt solar systems into the Brisbane Airport electric grid in 2018. This system was included over 20,000 solar panels, and cost over $11 million. The result has been the solar system collectively accounting for 18% of Brisbane Airport’s direct electricity consumption. The amount of energy generated is equivalent to powering 1,700 homes every year, and with a carbon offset of removing 1,500 cars from the roads, or planting 50,000 trees.
• The construction of a recycling water pipeline made for the new runway has already saved over 1.2 gigalitres of water of potable water – 1.2 billion litres of water, or enough to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimmings pools.
• The Brisbane Airport’s Airport Ambassadors with the partnership of OzHarvest operate a food recovery program, which has meant that over 50 tonnes of food have been redistributed to the wider community each year since the start of the initiative in 2014
• The development and the placing of cardboard compactors across Brisbane Airport’s Domestic Terminal in 2017 has resulted in the overall amount of cardboard recycled double from 150 to 300 tonnes each year.
• The saving of over 285 hectares of protected biodiversity zones, well over 10% of the total landmass of the airport. Zones such as these have provided a protective and safe habitat for the local Lewin’s Rail and Easter Grass Owl.
• The 30 European honeybee hives that are scattered across the protected biodiversity zones. This provides increased bio-connectivity and increases the level of interconnection within the habitats by pollinating local flora while also producing 100% pure Brisbane Airport Wetlands Honey.
• The Containers for Change initiative has meant that over 10,000 bottles a week are saved from landfill from the International Terminal alone. This is meant not only the reusing of plastic, but also the creation of a form of revenue.

As can be seen, the Brisbane Airport has various initiatives that are aimed to promote the environmental sustainability. This not only has a direct positive impact on the environment, but also increases social awareness as people begin to realise that there are more environmental initiatives possible than simply what is the norm.

As a Ground Transport operator offering Airport Transfers at Brisbane and Gold Coast Airports; My Private Transfers is encouraged by the green environmental sustainability efforts by Brisbane Airport Corporation.