SUSTAINABILITY

The Buffalo Niagara International Airport was the first airport in the country to use natural methods to treat the chemicals left behind by airplane de-icing. Glycol-based chemicals are vital to the safety of airline passengers and crew, but taxing to the local water system. The subsurface engineered wetlands allow the Buffalo Airport to treat run-off not with unsightly machines, but with a field of grass.         

The Greenway Nature Trail, on the edge of Buffalo’s Outer Harbor, is a footpath, bikepath, and wildlife habitat that gives the community a chance to appreciate Lake Erie’s waterfront. Once a commercial zone, parts of the 60-acre brownfield were used for dumping as far back as 1874. Now the 6,400-foot stretch of shoreline is clean, user friendly, scenic, and free from erosion.          

Both of the NFTA’s airports - the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and the Niagara Falls International Airport - feature charging stations for electric vehicles.The stations are another step towards making zero-emission vehicles as practical as any other form of transportation. In a partnership with the New York Power Authority, these stations get some of their energy from the ultra-clean hydro power plant in Niagara Falls.     

The Buffalo Niagara International Airport benefits from a unique heat recovery system that takes energy from baggage scanning machines and distributes it throughout the terminal to keep travelers comfortable. The system greatly improves the airport’s efficiency while keeping everyone warm when they want to be warm, and cool when they want to be cool.          

The terminal at the Niagara Falls International Airport integrates the best ‘green design’ practices available. The roof is covered in an energy reflecting membrane, and the windows are coated and argon-filled for better insulation. Controlling the heating and air conditioning is a feedback system, smart enough to balance weather conditions outside with the activity inside.     

Metro’s Frontier Bus Garage has a 250-kilowatt photovoltaic array on its roof. The solar panels provide 16 percent of the power needed by the facility, saving the Authority money, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 150 tons a year.       

Metro’s fleet of nearly 300 buses is varied by design. Western New York is a tough climate, so Metro has been careful about lowering its carbon footprint without compromising service. Hybrid buses, compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and electric buses all have their advantages. Each has helped to reduce emissions.