On April 23, the Department of Aviation celebrated Earth Day with several community partners in Philadelphia International Airport’s (PHL) B/C Food Court stage celebrating the Airport’s progress on sustainability initiatives and recognizing environmental leaders. The event featured environmental advocacy organizations, businesses, and public agencies providing information, trivia games, and sustainable giveaways, including reusable bags with the PHL logo, travel utensils, and 75 recycling bins courtesy of the Philadelphia Department of Streets’ Streets & Walkways Education and Enforcement Program (SWEEP). Guests and employees also had the chance to create crochet flowers from plastic bags with artist Natalie Kuenzi.  

“Since last year, we’ve made important strides in reducing our carbon footprint,” said Chief Development Officer Api Appulingam. “We conducted a tree inventory and an airport waste survey, and we won several grants and awards for our work.” 

The celebration also featured an awards ceremony recognizing individuals, organizations, and businesses that demonstrate a commitment to fostering sustainability at PHL.  The awards were presented by Department of Aviation CEO Atif Saeed.  

Recipients were:

Department of Aviation Director of Spatial Systems Nora Dougherty was honored for leading the PHL Tree Inventory, which studies the benefits and management risks of the urban forest. Additionally, non-profit organization Hopeworks won an award for their work with Dougherty on the PHL Tree Inventory by employing young adults to be an integral part of the project.  

HNTB Project Manager Julie Coyle was recognized for the construction of the green wall in the B/C ticketing area, part of the restroom renovation project she manages. Curt Alexander and Jane Winkel of Urban Jungle also received an award for designing and installing the green wall.

The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club in Terminal D was honored for its energy-efficient systems and sustainable materials, which minimize its environmental impact. Chase Bank, Corgan Architects, and e4 Incorporated were also represented in this award. The Chase Sapphire Lounge is seeking LEED Gold certification, which signifies that a building project has achieved a high level of sustainability. This would be the first LEED Gold certified lounge at the airport. 

The Department of Aviation thanks all the organizations who participated in Earth Day:  

• Aeroaggregates  
• Clean Air Council
• J.P. Mascaro & Sons
• MarketPlace PHLwe
• Philabundance
• Philadelphia Department of Streets’ SWEEP program
• SEPTA  
• Wissahickon Environmental Center