As the world nears a future with fewer resources and greater demand, creating a sustainable world that preserves and enhances the productivity of the world as a whole has become of paramount importance. We have been trying to build more and more sustainable houses, communities, towns, cities, vehicles and so forth. After a huge amount of worldwide agitation, we have finally reached a point where the environment is taken seriously, where sustainability is a valid concept that is of considerable importance, and not just amongst tiny non-governmental organizations but the institution as a whole.
In the very center of the effort towards building a sustainable world is the idea of converting the most heinous centerpieces of pollution and environmental disregard into an initiative towards a better, more environment-friendly world. Airports have always been an immense source of anti-environmental activity, be it the high amount of air pollution emitted from flying planes, or the screeching noise that permanently disturbs the decorum of the ecosystem as the plane takes off. Thankfully, however, some visionary architects are thinking towards building a more sustainable, eco-friendly airport system that everyone can use and enjoy. An outstanding example of the future of airport sustainability can be found in the revolutionary plans proposed by the architects of Heathrow and Gatwick, the two of the United Kingdom's central airports.
As per the Federal Aviation Administration, sustainable airports have three important goals: reducing environmental impact, prioritizing economic growth and generating social progress. To achieve this, airports must take considerable measures to reduce emissions, decrease noise pollution, eliminate light and visual pollution, protect wildlife and natural vegetation and lower the consumption of resources like electricity, water and land. An outstanding example of what a sustainable airport should be like can be found in Gatwick's 10-point sustainability plan, which aims at increasing social and economic growth while reducing carbon emissions, maintaining better air quality, eliminating noise pollution, reducing energy consumption by 20%, increasing the rate of waste recycle and so forth.
In the Americas, it was Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that started it all off. Creating a manual that serves as its blueprint towards creating an environment-friendly airport, the O'Hare International was among the first few larger airports to take considerable measures to reduce environmental impact in 2003. Its blueprint takes into accord every little detail and ensures that even airplanes and not just the airport itself, forego required measures to ensure sustainability and eco-friendliness. Since then, this plan towards a sustainable airport has become a foundation for all other famous airports to follow.
With an ever-changing climate, higher rates of global warming and an alarming scarcity of resources, the need to make human life more sustainable has become more and more obvious. Pollution levels have reached the sky and dust thickens in the air we breathe in. If we do not take measures to improve the condition of our world now, it may well be too late. Thankfully, awareness has increased, and local residents are continuously pressuring airports to be founded on more sustainable and eco-friendly grounds. Our combined efforts have been successful too, and with any luck, we are probably looking forward to a future where human and plant life can coexist side by side.