Earth Week Summaries

Sustainability in the Airline Industry

As more people move towards being environmentally conscious, one of the most
interesting changes to note is that small to large corporations have also adopted their own
environmental measures to promote an aspect of trust and reliability to their consumers.
For example, both Apple and Microsoft place better effort in recycling used computers,
phones, and other products. Cafs are moving towards cups made out of recycled
cardboard and plastic. Though, the most interesting sustainability movement is in
transportation, specifically in the airline industry. In 2014, transportations contribution to
carbon dioxide emissions was around 25%, of which airlines were responsible for 11%.
Improvements, however, are being made by airline industries to protect the environment
and become more sustainable.
One of the Earth Week events at Bellevue College was about the concern of
sustainability in the airline industry. Manager of Environmental Affairs at Alaska Airlines
Jacqueline Drumheller was invited to give a lecture about how planes, which use about
one gallon of fuel per second, are being innovated to reduce fuel usage. One of the most
interesting areas Drumheller discussed was the gradual implementation of biofuel, a form
of renewable energy produced from biomass, on airplanes. Moreoever, according to
Drumheller, Alaska Airlines is the first airline industry to use biofuels for multiple flights.
Alaska has recently partnered with Gevo Inc., a leading Colorado-based company that
produces jet biofuel, and will plan on receiving around 1000 gallons for a test flight in the
summer1. By 2020, Drumheller hopes that Alaska Airlines will reduce their fuel
consumption by 20%.
Biofuel is generally more environmentally advantageous than petroleum. It is
produced from somewhat renewable resources such as vegetables and animal fat, it can
be used in diesel engines, and it produces less toxic fumes and less CO2 emissions. On
the other hand, biofuel risks the increased productivity of farms and requires more usage
of fertilizers on crops that contribute to biofuel production. Farming already emits a
significant portion of the Earths CO2 emissions, but the increased necessity of biofuel
will require a higher productivity in farms. In addition, biofuel cleans dirt from the
engine, which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage since the dirt can clog the
fuel filter2. There are more challenges that come with the use of biofuel, but it will be
interesting to see how Alaska Airlines plans to overcome these obstacles as they move
towards the use of biofuels.
Other sustainability efforts at Alaska Airlines include making their planes more
aerodynamic and using a new navigation system. Drumheller talked about Alaska
airplanes that will be upgraded with winglets, which can save about 3-5% on fuel. In
addition, Alaska is building a Required Navigation Performance system, which is not
only more accurate, but also gives pilots unconventional, yet shorter routes that will
reduce the need for more fuel.

Finally, Drumheller also included how passengers can help airlines be sustainable.
She suggested that by packing light and bringing our own water bottles, we can help
airlines use less fuel and plastic bottles. As Alaska Airlines continues to improve their
sustainability efforts, their main missions, according to Drumheller, are to reduce their
CO2 emissions, consumption of non-recyclable and unsustainable resources, waste, and
their corporations energy consumption.
Airline Sustainability Notes
- Jacqueline Drumheller = Manager of Environmental Affairs @ Alaska Airlines
since 1997
- Transportation contributes about 25% to CO2 emissions
o How much do airlines contribute?
- Definition of sustainability for a corporation:
o Needs of community
o Needs of planet
o Needs of employees
o 3 Needs outweigh financial gain
- Airlines cause a lot of pollution. Plan to solve (four goals):
o Reduce CO2 emissions
o Reduce consumption of unsustainable resources
o Reduce unnecessary waste
o Reduce facilitys energy consumption
- Alaska Airlines publishes yearly reports of their progress towards sustainability
- Use of biofuel is important for Alaska Airlines
o Where are they getting biofuel? How are they producing it?
o What are the advantages and disadvantages of biofuel?
o How renewable can biofuel be if it relies on biomass that is created by
farming and fertilizers?
o In four years, Alaska Airlines will reduce emissions by 20% compared to
2009
- New aerodynamic improvements to plane wings
o Add winglets and reduce fuel by 3-5%
- New navigation system:
o Better and shorter route

Become a Waste Warrior: Hands on Waste Audit

Around Bellevue College, there are trash bins, recycling bins, and compost bins,
which students are expected to use accordingly. Bellevue College, however, is not the
only organization that implements this waste separation. Starbucks, hospitals, and even
shopping malls are being more conscious about what their consumers are throwing away.
Although these efforts are remarkable, its sometimes confusing what classifies as trash,

recycling, or compost. I often find myself by the trash bins in the school cafeteria,
determining what each waste on my food tray classifies as. Frankly, I can count more
times where Ive just thrown everything in the trash bin than occasions where Ive taken
my time to sort through each of my personal waste. However, I have a feeling that Im
not the only student that encounters this situation.
As a result, the Office of Sustainability held a waste audit and short lecture to help
students understand how to sort and throw their waste in the proper bins. Students who
performed the audit were given Tyveks suit and gloves to dig through the trash. Weak
from a cold and sensitivity to smells, I, sadly, benched myself and quietly observed
fellow BC students rummage through garbage. The event coordinators brought three
large buckets labeled liquids, plastics, and paper towels, and the students were tasked to
separate the heaps of waste into each bucket accordingly. Following the manual filtration,
the garbage bags with each corresponding bucket were weighed and put into the proper
receptacle trash, recycle, and compost. While the BC community was sorting through
the trash, the sight, and smell, of pho noodles and coffee cups was amusing, since those
are the two food items that students at BC most frequently consume. In terms of waste
management, it was interesting to learn that paper towels belonged in the compost bin.
Additionally, BC uses recycled utensils, which were placed into the recycling bin. All
non-recyclable items belong in the trash bin. Moreover, recyclable waste that is later
soiled such as newspapers drenched in coffee belong in the trash.
Aside from teaching the BC community about waste management, it was also
interesting to learn that waste audits are performed regularly by large organizations and
even by the government. Each city is required to record the data of their waste
management and provide it to their residents. These data are then used to improve
sustainability in states by providing more information on how someone can manage and
sort their waste in the appropriate manner.
After the event, I felt slightly disoriented, but somewhat confident about how to
sort through waste independently. I realized that my main concerns with throwing away
garbage in their according bins were that the information on the bins werent very clear
on what to throw away, especially with compost material, and that it was too timeconsuming. Through this event, however, I learned that most biodegradable material such
as paper or food trash is classified as compost. If paper is wet and soiled, then it goes into
trash. In terms of time consumption, Ive decided that its better to spend a few minutes
being renewable than contributing to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Garbage Audit Notes
- Hosted by Office of Sustainability
- Paper products are compostable (BC uses bowls and plates that are made from
composted paper)
o Throw paper products in trash when theyre wet and soiled
- Lots of pho and coffee in the trash
- Plastic containers with 1, 2, 4, or 5 on the bottom are recyclable

o Avoid 3, 6, and 7
BCs utensils are also made from recycled products = recycle them after use
Waste audits are performed by many corporations and organizations
o Required and helps with waste management

Citations
Alaska Airlines to Launch Demonstration Flights with Gevo Biofuel This Year. Puget Sound
Business Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

clean, RinkeshRinkesh is passionate about et al. Advantages and Disadvantages of Biodiesel

Fuel - Conserve Energy Future. Conserve-Energy-Future. N.p., 22 May 2013. Web. 25
Apr. 2016.