Tampa International featured at Sustainable Business Awards in Tampa

(June 18, 2015) - Tampa International Airport and its commitment to sustainability took center stage earlier this month at the seventh annual Sustainable Business Awards held at the University of Tampa.

In front of hundreds of business leaders and sustainability professionals, Vice President of Facilities and Administration Al Illustrato served as the keynote speaker at the June 10th event, talking about the importance of sustainability and some of the Airport’s ongoing sustainability initiatives.

Illustrato spoke of the development of the Airport’s Sustainable Management Plan and the creation of the sustainability program, known as the Legacy of Environmental Actions for our Future (or LEAF).

He told the group that the Airport strives to be a world-class leader in sustainability, promoting prosperity for the region through efficient, responsible growth, while cherishing the natural beauty and quality of life of the community.

Illustrato highlighted a number of the Airport’s current initiatives and goals. These include reducing the Authority’s paper use, developing a low-impact landscape maintenance program, using a more sustainable fleet of vehicles and expanding the recycling program. He also touched on the sustainable features of the current Master Plan expansion.

He also spoke of some of the Airport’s past successes. Over the past five years, the Airport has diverted an average of more than 1,100 tons of solid waste per year form landfill disposal with its terminal recycling program. The Airport is also one of the few airports nationwide to enable in-flight recycling for airlines. The Airport’s compressed natural gas station has saved hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline in recent years. The Airport has also used millions of gallons of reclaimed water.

The Sustainable Business Awards recognize leaders and companies who are leading their industries in sustainability with efforts, such as zero waste programs, innovative community initiatives or generous employee benefits. The awards are presented by the Sustainable Business Coalition of Tampa Bay, The Sustany Foundation and the University of Tampa Center for Ethics. University of Tampa MBA students chose the winners through an interview and evaluation process.

This year’s winners were: Abby’s Health & Nutrition; Accuform Manufacturing; Java Planet Organic Coffee Roasters, Inc.; JJ Taylor Distributing Florida, Inc.; NaturZone Pest Control; Pasco Iron & Metal; Seminole Heights Community Acupuncture; Sykes Enterprise, Inc.