Mumbai Airport Spreads the Message of Green Living with Travellers on World Environment Day

2022-06-05

Individuals across the globe have begun to grow conscious about the world and environment they live in. On World Environment Day, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) celebrates with “Only One Earth” as the theme, focusing on ‘Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature’ to spread the message of sustainable living with the travellers while exploring and promoting opportunities towards environment-friendly practices.

To resonate with the theme “Only One Earth”, CSMIA undertook initiatives to engage the passengers through a plethora of activities at the airport, which further echo the importance of the day. With the intent of encouraging more and more passengers to take cognizance of the environmental concerns at hand, CSMIA engaged with travellers on 4th & 5th June 2022, by distributing plantable luggage tags along with other exciting plantable stationary sets. Te plantable tags are uniquely made which are completely wood-free and is made using upcycled cotton scrap, and the string is made using jute. Besides, the colours used are also aqueous so that they do not harm the seeds, the soil and water, and if all of the seeds are planted and taken care of, every packet can sprout into 720 to 1200 vegetable plants.

This unique initiative by the airport was undertaken in addition to the installation of standees with QR codes leading to an environmental awareness quiz and the airport’s achievement on sustainable practices. CSMIA also conducted spot quizzes at the airport, installed Selfie Points/Botanical Garden Corners at different location of the airport to keep the passengers excited and encouraged. The 2-day event also witnessed a spot quiz for employees and stakeholders of CSMIA, to sensitize them towards the environmental concerns. A Toolbox talk was also held on this year’s theme, with the campaign slogan “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.

The Aviation industry is a significant contributor to carbon and GHG emissions in the environment, and being a part of this industry, CSMIA, has always focused on carbon neutrality, energy saving, emission reduction, and climate action, since inception. The airport has integrated emission-related concerns within its operational agenda as well. CSMIA offers a holistic approach towards sustainable operations and has carried out various initiatives under environment management. These include airport carbon management system, airport carbon neutrality, sustainability reporting, renewable energy installations, wastewater recycling, effective waste management system, organic waste treatment, amongst others. CSMIA keeps a close check on noise management, air quality monitoring, waste management and climate change, which helps minimize the aviation industry’s impact on the environment.

Among the series of green initiatives undertaken at CSMIA, some of the key highlights include - zero-water discharge policy whereby CSMIA maintains 100% recycling of treated wastewater for cooling, landscaping, washing etc. CSMIA has a capacity of 26 Lakh Liters of rainwater tanks and 229 rainwater harvesting pits across the terminals for recharge of ground water table to ensure water efficiency. Onsite solar energy generation of 53,10,141 kWh, replacement of existing lighting fixtures by LED fixtures for all external lights resulting in a reduction in load contributed to reduced energy consumption at the airport and replacement of belt driven centrifugal fans with EC fans in Air Handling Units (AHUs) which improve the overall energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption, amongst others.

CSMIA’s green policies focus on continuous energy reduction through the adoption of energy efficient products, operational efficiency, and the use of innovative technology to address the challenges of climate change. With CSMIA consistently making efforts to incorporate sustainable practices in it’s day to day operations, World Environment Day becomes a significant occasion to engage with the passengers and extend the spirit of green living with them through the campaign. The various initiatives are symbolic to the ethos of – we have only one Earth and we must all do our bid to protect and preserve the same for a healthy tomorrow.