The O'Hare Urban Garden: - EplerWood International

32 Pages·2012·4.04 MB·English

by  Holly Jones

The O'Hare Urban Garden:
A Sustainable Airport Food & Beverage Supply Chain Initiative

Prepared by Tracey Button

December 9, 2011
Environmental Management of International Tourism Development, E-118
Harvard University Extension School

Professor Megan Epler Wood
Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their kind and generous
assistance in the research phase of this paper:

The Chicago Department of Aviation, especially Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino

Danielle S. Sliozis, Assistant to the Commissioner, Chicago Department of Aviation

Tammy Chase, Deputy Commissioner Communications, Chicago Department of Aviation

Brad Maher, F & B Operations Director, HMSHost, Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Susan Goyette, Sr. Director Communications & Public Relations, HMSHost

John Mooney, Executive Chef/Owner, Bell Book & Candle

Tim Blank, President/CEO, Future Growing LLC


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Executive Summary
The global travel industry is growing and airports are expanding their services to meet
the needs of ever-more passengers. At the same time, they are under increasing pressure to
implement more sustainable practices. While progress is being made in many airport
operational areas, Food & Beverage concessions have generally been slower to find and adopt
sustainable solutions, particularly in their supply chain.
Chicago's O'Hare airport has recently introduced a highly innovative sustainable
Food & Beverage supply chain initiative -- an on-site aeroponic garden. Using secondary
sources, a case study, interviews and existing research, this paper examines the potential of
The O'Hare Urban Garden to reduce or mitigate environmental impacts of the airport restaurant
produce supply.

Key Findings
Land Use: The O'Hare garden is located in existing indoor space. No land was plowed or
changed as a result of its planting, so the garden does not contribute to environmental issues
typically associated with clearing land for farming, e.g. soil erosion, habitat loss.

Water Use: Aeroponic technology used for the O'Hare Urban Garden has been found to reduce
water use 95%-98% versus traditional soil farming.

Toxins/Runoff: Because the nutrient solution used to sustain the plants is self-contained in
individual reservoirs and is 100% re-cycled, the garden does not release any fertilizer,
pesticides, herbicides or fungicides into the ground -- a 100% reduction vs. soil farming.

Energy/GHG reductions: Actual energy use data is unavailable at this time, as the garden's
grow lights and reservoir pumps are not separately metered. However, using lettuce as an
example, versus traditional growing and shipping, The O'Hare Urban Garden has the theoretical
potential to mitigate approximately 1/2 lb. CO2 equivalent for every pound of lettuce harvested.
This would require a sustainable source of electricity, which the garden does not currently have.

The O'Hare Urban Garden also delivers other benefits, such as food quality, taste and
health. A review of these as well as overall conclusions and recommendations can be found on
pages 20-25 of the paper.

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Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................................................................2

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................................3

OBJECTIVES...........................................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................................5

BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................................................................6

US
AVIATION
GROWTH............................................................................................................................................................6

CHICAGO'S
O'HARE
AIRPORT.................................................................................................................................................8

O'HARE'S
SUSTAINABLE
EFFORTS.........................................................................................................................................8

AIRPORT
FOOD
&
BEVERAGE
SUSTAINABILITY...................................................................................................................9

AEROPONICS
AND
THE
TOWER
GARDEN
TECHNOLOGY..................................................................................................11

THE
O'HARE
URBAN
GARDEN........................................................................................................................12

ENVIRONMENTAL
BENEFITS
OF
THE
O'HARE
URBAN
GARDEN........................................................14

LAND
USE................................................................................................................................................................................14

WATER
USE.............................................................................................................................................................................14

TOXIN
USE/RUNOFF..............................................................................................................................................................15

ENERGY/GHG
EMISSIONS....................................................................................................................................................15

CASE
STUDY:

BELL
BOOK
&
CANDLE..........................................................................................................19

OTHER
BENEFITS
OF
THE
O'HARE
URBAN
GARDEN.............................................................................20

HEALTH....................................................................................................................................................................................20

TASTE/FOOD
QUALITY/MENU
VARIETY..........................................................................................................................21

"NATURAL"
OASIS..................................................................................................................................................................21

EXCITEMENT/REPUTATION
ENHANCEMENT...................................................................................................................22

CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................................................................................22

RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................................................................................23

IMPROVE
CO2E
REDUCTION................................................................................................................................................23

INCREASE
ABSOLUTE
IMPACT..............................................................................................................................................24

METRICS/TRACKING.............................................................................................................................................................24

COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING........................................................................................................................................24

APPENDIX.............................................................................................................................................................26

REFERENCE
LIST................................................................................................................................................29


Photo
Credits

Cover
Page:

HMSHost

Pages
11‐13:

Author



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Objectives
The aim of this paper is to examine the potential environmental benefits of the new
Chicago O'Hare Urban Garden and assess its ability to reduce the environmental impacts of the
airport produce supply chain. Because the garden was installed only 3 months ago, very little
actual data exists; secondary sources, interviews, existing research and a case study were
therefore used to develop conclusions and recommendations.
Introduction
Airports are not only a crucial link in the global tourism supply chain today, they are big
businesses, generating nearly $16 billion in revenue in the USA alone in 2009 (FAA,
"Economic"). Given the literal and economic size, scope, visibility, and growth of airports
worldwide, their impact on the environment is of key importance and it is increasingly
scrutinized. Airports have generally been regarded as large polluters because of their intrinsic
relationship with airlines and fossil fuel burning planes, and because of their relatively intense
resource usage. They require large tracts of land, much of it paved; they use tremendous
amounts of electricity and water; they generate large amounts of solid waste from operations
and food and beverage concessions; they are responsible for toxic storm and de-icing solution
run-off.
Contributing to the negative environmental image of airports is the fact that, despite
being subject to NEPA, in many instances airports have been slower to begin adopting
sustainable practices than other big businesses and also the very municipalities that they serve.
Unique operating requirements may play a role -- security, relatively remote locations,
complexity of air-side operations -- frequently mean that the logistics, supply chains and
processes for sustainable solutions found outside of the airport must be modified or re-invented
for effective airport use.

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Despite these challenges, airports in the United States and around the world have
increasingly committed to operating more sustainably. Many airports are now implementing
basic initiatives that will result in significant financial and environmental benefits per dollar
invested: energy conservation, solid waste management/recycling, green building and design,
more sustainable ground fleets, and better water management. While progress is being made
in the areas noted, Food & Beverage (F & B) concessions have generally been slower to find
and adopt sustainable solutions, particularly in their supply chain, but this is changing.
Increased green activity at airports means that, in some cases, they are actually
innovating -- functioning as incubators for new sustainability solutions that may be used within
and possibly outside of the aviation world. Chicago's O'Hare airport is one such example; it has
recently introduced a highly innovative sustainable Food & Beverage supply chain initiative -- an
on-site aeroponic garden. Absolute impacts of The O'Hare Urban Garden are not entirely clear
at this early date, however its current and potential environmental benefits are explored in detail
below.
Background
US Aviation Growth
After a 9/11 decline, the global aviation industry rebounded in 2010, and despite
suppressed global economic conditions, the FAA continues to forecast long-term aviation
growth. Expectations are that available seat miles (ASMs), the measure for how busy aviation
is, will increase at an average of 3.8% per year through 2025. As Figure 1 shows, US
enplanements are expected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.7%, rising to over a billion by
2025 (FAA, "Aerospace 2011"). As well, Figure 2 demonstrates that robust growth of
passengers in and out of the United States is expected from nearly all regions of the world
(FAA, "Aerospace 2011").

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Figure 1. U.S. Enplanements 2010-2031. Source: FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal
Years 2011-2031.

Figure 2. Projected Growth of Passengers Traveling to/From the U.S. 2010-
2031. Source: FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal YEARS 2011-2031.

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A healthy and growing aviation industry is encouraged around the world given its
economic importance to countries, regions and communities. From an economic perspective,
then, aviation growth is good. From an environmental perspective, however, aviation growth is
a challenge. More travelers means increased pressure on resources as airports expand in
order to capitalize on and serve the increasing millions of passengers who pass through them
each year. Simultaneously, public sentiment and regulation such as the proposed airline
emission cap and trade in Europe are pressuring the aviation industry to reduce its
environmental footprint. In this heated context, working to mitigate environmental impacts has
become an imperative for airlines and airports.
Chicago's O'Hare Airport
Chicago's O'Hare airport is also expected to grow at 2.3% annually through 2020 (CDA,
"Institutional"). It is owned by the City of Chicago and managed by the Chicago Department of
Aviation (CDA), which is responsible for its planning, design, operation and maintenance. No
tax dollars are used in the operation of O'Hare, rather it is self-funded with a combination of
fees, bonds, grants and private investment.
O'Hare is one of the world's busiest airports, served by 27 US airlines, 27 foreign airlines
and 25 all-cargo carriers. On average there are over 2300 daily flight operations, and in 2010
67 million passengers traveled through its terminals (CDA, "Institutional", CDA Statistics). To
serve its multitude of passengers, O'Hare has 65 news, gift and specialty stores, and 106
restaurants and food and beverage outlets (CDA, "Institutional").
O'Hare's Sustainable Efforts
O'Hare airport's first green efforts were in construction and design related to The O'Hare
Modernization Program (OMP), a project begun in 2005 to expand capacity and make the
runway system more efficient. Some of the successful sustainable initiatives to date have been:
• Recycling of 98% of construction and demolition debris related to OMP

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• Keeping 6.3 million cubic yards of soil on-site and out of landfills
• Building the first FAA on-airport LEED silver certified facility with the North Traffic Control
Tower

• Installing several hundred thousand square feet of vegetated roofs
• Other initiatives related to improving energy, water and air pollution management (CDA,
"2011 Sustainability")

Airport Food & Beverage Sustainability
Food and beverage sales are an important revenue area for airport owners and their
partner stakeholders -- concessionaires, brand owners, and suppliers. In 2009, global airport
food and beverage sales were worth $9.5 billion from 4.4 billion passengers. If global
passenger growth expands as predicted to 7.3 billion and food and beverage sales keep pace,
airport food and beverage could be worth $18billion worldwide by 2017 (Airport Food).
The size and importance of Food and Beverage (F & B) sales at O'Hare is also evident.
Maximization of revenue per square foot is a priority, and in 2010, five new restaurants opened
or were renovated. In 2009, O'Hare F & B sales were worth $182 million (CDA, "Concessions").
Interestingly, average gross sales per enplanement were higher at O'Hare than both the
national average for airports overall, and the US average for large airports (Table 1). Bottom
line: the dollar amounts represent an enormous amount of food, drink, packaging, and
transportation.

Table 1. Average Sales Per Passenger Enplanement
Chicago O'Hare National Airport US Large Airport
Average Average

$6.06 $4.00 $5.21
Average Sales Per
Enplanement

Source: CDA Concessions Open House Presentation, August 12, 2011. Airports Council International,
"The Business of Airports" Media Briefing.


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Although F & B volume is tremendous, it is still an area where most airports are just
starting to test and implement sustainability solutions. Judging by the Airports Going Green
conference in October, recycling solid waste is a fairly consistent initiative. Beyond that, there
are some grease recycling programs, compost tests, and a few organic restaurants. SFO's new
green Terminal 2 is an exception with fully compostable service ware, food composting, solid
waste recycling and local and organic sourcing where possible. The lag in F & B sustainability
initiatives is likely influenced by 3 key factors:

1) Airports are not typically responsible for running F & B operations -- that is the business
of concessionaires who lease space. As such, concessions are not always included in
measurement of environmental impacts of airport operations.

2) Some aspects of greening F & B are difficult to quantify, and results may not be as great
as with other initiatives. E.g. per dollar invested, energy and water conservation and
solid waste/recycling initiatives may deliver clearer, more significant financial and
environmental benefits, so they are prioritized.

3) Greening the food supply chain is challenging and complex regardless of endpoint
because the developed world's food delivery system is built around big agriculture and
industrial farms far from population centers.

Although there are unique F & B challenges, O'Hare is starting to address sustainability
of its concessions, which it does not directly manage. Working with their HMSHost concession
partners, the Chicago Department of Aviation has implemented a composting test at Midway,
and introduced an exciting new sustainable airport food supply chain innovation at O'Hare --
The O'Hare Urban Garden. A global "first," O'Hare's in-airport aeroponic garden will supply
some of the HMSHost restaurants there with fresh produce year-round.

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