Flying may not be good for the environment, but some airports are really trying to be more eco-friendly.
Linda Formichelli wrote an article for CNN about America's healthiest airports. Unfortunately LAX didn't make the cut (surprised?), but Logan in my home-state of MA did and I'm proud to say they have some cool green stuff going on. This makes me a little more excited to travel next week! In fact, I'm going to both Logan and Dallas/Fort Worth next Tuesday.
# 1. Phoenix Sky Harbor International has veggie burgers (Roadhouse 66 Bar), sushi (Yoshi's Asian Grill), & burritos (Oaxaca), and edamame.
# 3. O'Hare International (Chicago) has grilled veggie salads (CIBO Express)
# 5. Denver International: "Acres of solar panels provide enough electricity to run half the airport's train system[...]a recycling system built into the runways and taxiways to collect 70 percent of the glycol used to de-ice aircraft."
# 6. Washington National has a walking and biking trail that goes through the airport grounds
# 7. Dallas/Fort Worth International : "Of the airport's 580 vehicles, from buses to lawn mowers, 540 are hybrids or run on compressed natural gas. [...] Restaurants like Tequilerias, serves nutritious options such as jicama and mango salads"
UPDATE: While I was at this airport over the holidays 2008, I spotted "The Grove" Organic Whole Bean Coffee
# 8. Logan International (Boston) : "Logan's terminal A, its biggest, is the world's first airport terminal certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for using the highest green construction standards. It features roofing that reflects heat, special stormwater-filtration devices, low-flow faucets, waterless urinals, self-dimming lights, recycled construction materials, and more. And Logan's compressed-natural-gas shuttle buses prevent 7 tons of pollution emissions from reaching the atmosphere and causing smog every year, the equivalent of taking nearly 800 cars off the road." (Yeah Boston!)
UPDATE: While I was at this airport over the holidays 2008, I spotted "UFood Grill" - a nutritious place in the food court with vegetarian options.
# 9 Portland International (Oregon) has a "paved bicycle-and-walking path that links local hotels, businesses, and regional hiking and biking trails to the airport. The airport offers free covered bicycle parking adjacent to the terminal, too. Our judges also laud Portland's recycling of cooking oil into biodiesel fuel, the abundance of live trees in the terminals, and the musicians -- mostly local stationed throughout the airport to lower the stress level."