CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., 9 March 2012. The Chattanooga Airport's energy-efficient, 9,000-square-foot corporate flight center, or fixed-based operator (FBO) terminal facility, won platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program. The FBO terminal, managed by Wilson Air Center, is the only aviation terminal in the world to receive platinum certification, which represents the highest possible level of energy and environmental performance, says a spokesperson.
Nearly 4,000 solar panels, installed south of the terminal, generate more than one megawatt of clean power every year.
LEED certification is an internationally recognized green building certification system, which provides building owners and operators a standard for designing and constructing the world's greenest, most energy-efficient, and high-performing facilities.
"This remarkable achievement reflects the Chattanooga Airport's belief that sustainability is more than a simple responsibility to the environment," says Dan Jacobson, chairman of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority (CMAA). "Sustainability represents our civic duty to improve the quality of life for the community in which we all live, work, and play."
The airport received a Voluntary Airport Low Emissions grant through the Federal Aviation Administration, which assisted in the development of the one megawatt solar farm. The acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration was on hand for the dedication event.
"This solar farm and the LEED-certified FBO are examples of how to build America's infrastructure so that it's sustainable for years to come," says FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta. "They are innovative, clean energy projects that create jobs and that use American know-how to improve our economy."
Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield reflected on the city's evolution from a center of pollution to the gold standard of sustainability. "The environmental transformation of our region would not be possible without leadership from partners like the Chattanooga Airport," he says.
