More about EONS (part 2 of 2)

This a follow-up to my post, All about EONS, from July 18.

Do you get excited over toilet bowl cleaner? You might be surprised, but a lot of my Airport Authority colleagues did recently! In an effort to get out the word on the Airport Authority’s Sustainability Policy (which I talked about in the previous post), the Airport Authority recently hosted an employee open house focused on showing employees how what we do in our jobs and at home can be truly sustainable. In the picture above, I'm hanging loose with fellow Airport Authority employee Isabel at the open house to promote sustainable care for the ocean.

Even the giveaways at the open house were sustainable. Employees were given reusable, sturdy canvass tote bags featuring the airport's logo and other earth-conscious gifts, such as Clorox's new Green Works™ glass and toilet bowl cleaner. Green Works™ is the first line of natural cleaners developed by a major consumer products company. You wouldn’t believe what a hit the latter was; yours truly was low on both cleaners, so they really came in handy! Check out fellow Ambassablogger Ryan awarding a bottle of Green Works™ to Airport Authority employee Michelle.

Part of being sustainable is having the right information to let you to make choices and act in a manner that respects the earth. It’s nice to know how much the Airport Authority is committing itself to really promoting sustainability — and a clean toilet bowl to boot!

Welcome home

When I returned from vacation this summer, I was pleased that my flight landed at Gate 2 in Terminal 1. When you travel through Gates 1 and 2 here at San Diego International Airport, you’re greeted by a lovely piece of art that really reflects the spirit of San Diego. It’s quite a lovely welcome home!

It's called Day at the Beach and is by artist Tracy Sabin. He’s a local artist from Carlsbad. The beautiful tile mosaic was installed in the airport in 2005 and depicts a beach scene much like you might find on any San Diego beach.

Here are two photos of the mosaic: above is one of the entire piece of art I took right after I landed in San Diego, and at the top is a closeup. I was tired when I arrived, but that’s the power of art – noticing the artwork warmed my heart to be home in good ol’ San Diego ... and it inspired me to take a photo to remember it.

I like how the individual mosaic tiles make it seem like the sea is sparkling. Beach, anyone?

Look for more information about our Airport Art Program in future posts!

Back to school

Ah, college! ... The best four years of my life! Speaking of which, Horizon Airlines recently unveiled a new aircraft honoring my alma mater, the University of Washington. Go Huskies!
As any college student can tell you, an internship is an integral part of your education and preparation for “The Real World”.

Here at San Diego International Airport, we're wrapping up our Summer College Intern Program. This year we welcomed 13 students representing nine schools and eight states, with a a varied set of majors and backgrounds. My intern, Travis, graduated from Oklahoma State University in May and he did a fantastic job this summer. Thanks, Travis! Each student worked in a different department at the airport, participated in weekly activities and attended airport-wide events. Here they are:

From left to right (with their university and the airport department where they interned):

• Travis – Oklahoma State University – Airport Planning
• Keith – CalState LA - Facilities Management
• Chase – Baylor University – Procurement / Small Business Development
• Jill – Purdue University – Terminal Development Program
• Wesley – Louisiana Tech University – Noise Mitigation
• Shelia – Ohio University – Aviation Security
• Andrew – Purdue University – Marketing
• Tim – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Aviation Security
• Hannah – San Diego State – Human Resources
• Andrew – University of North Dakota – Airport Operations
• Jennifer – UC San Diego – Public & Community Relations
• Russell - Inter-Governnmental Relations
  
• Armin – San Diego State - Facilities Development

The activities gave students a behind-the-scenes look at the airport and an opportunity to make professional contacts and new friends. The intern program is part of the Airport Authority’s Careers in Aviation initiative.

I want to thank everyone that helped put on the program -- it is a great experience for both the interns and all the staff. A huge thank-you to Carol and Michelle in Human Resources for taking care of the summer’s logistics.

If you are interested in next year’s program please see the Airport Authorty's career website. Recruitment usually begins in mid-January each year.

Until then, study hard!

The Airport meets YouTube

The Ambassablog has established a firm foothold in the blogosphere with its regular posts from San Diego International Airport (SDIA) employees about life at Lindbergh Field. Now, it's venturing into another popular Web 2.0 hangout: YouTube.

The official Ambassablog YouTube Channel features all the videos about SDIA that have appeared on the Ambassablog ... neatly gathered in one place. There you will find video footage of an adorable baby California Least Tern (the endangered species protected by SDIA), TSA travel tips featuring some famous San Diego costumed characters, leaders in the region discussing the importance of air travel, and more.

At the Ambassablog YouTube Channel, it's easy to subscribe to the videos, leave comments on them, read what others have said, and see how many people have viewed each one. Check it out!

Home Treat Alert! The multimedia feature above may not be accessible at work. But you can log on at home and check it out there!

An incredible Olympic gateway

Did you see the spectacular Olympics closing ceremonies last night? If you've been as excited about the Olympics as I've been , you religiously watched the primetime coverage every evening, including the short local broadcast, “The Olympic Zone.” While watching the other night, I saw a story about Beijing’s newly expanded Beijing Capital International Airport.

You can see a cool slide show of the airport here.

Excited to find an Ambassablog tie-in to the Olympics, I decided to capture some interesting facts about Beijing airport’s massive new Terminal 3, pictured here, to share with you:

• Terminal length: 1.8 miles
• Check-in counters: almost 300
• Baggage system: can transport up to 20,000 bags an hour
• Total cost: approximately $3.8 billion
• Construction time: less than 4 years, using 50,000 workers
• Terminal building size: about 220 acres. (By comparison, all of San Diego International Airport SDIA sits on just 661 acres!)
• The design incorporated advice from a Feng Shui expert
• Environmental sustainability considerations were also part of the design
• And, yes, among many other concessions, the terminal includes a Starbucks

The new terminal opened earlier this year in March and is the world’s largest airport building. I think it's a fitting addition to one of the world’s busiest airports! The extra capacity helped support international travel for this year’s Olympic Games.

The new Beijing terminal is part of a larger expansion project that included adding a third runway to the airport. The modifications will help increase Beijing’s ability to serve more than 80 million passengers a year.

If you’re not impressed yet, imagine this: China is already designing an additional all-new international airport in Beijing that would open in 2015. Wow!

How does that compare to our airport here in San Diego? Our Airport Master Plan guides the development of SDIA to meet future growth demands. San Diego’s terminal development plans include adding 10 gates to Terminal 2, as well as additional facility improvements such as taxiway improvements, more aircraft parking and a second-level roadway.

I haven’t heard of any Feng Shui plans for our airport, but I do know that new development here will incorporate environmentally sustainable designs.

I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to have the Olympics here in San Diego someday. Just imagine what our airport gateway might look look like then.