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Eco-friendly airports

Matilda Egere-Cooper, for CNN
Published 8:58 AM EDT, Tue August 4, 2015
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Galapagos Ecological Airport was designed to blend in and maintain the natural surroundings. It received the LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council in 2014.
Galapagos Ecological Airport —
Galapagos Ecological Airport was designed to blend in and maintain the natural surroundings. It received the LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council in 2014.
Courtesy ECOGAL
Endemic plants are dotted around the entrance of the 64,000-square-foot building, which required a $40 million investment and was built using sustainable construction.
Galapagos Ecological Airport —
Endemic plants are dotted around the entrance of the 64,000-square-foot building, which required a $40 million investment and was built using sustainable construction.
Courtesy ECOGAL
The airport features photovoltaic panels that have been installed to provide 35% of the building's energy:  the remaining 65% comes from windmills on the site.
Galapagos Ecological Airport —
The airport features photovoltaic panels that have been installed to provide 35% of the building's energy: the remaining 65% comes from windmills on the site.
Courtesy ECOGAL
These mechanical shutters have sensors that are used to manage the temperature and CO2 levels inside the airport.
Galapagos Ecological Airport —
These mechanical shutters have sensors that are used to manage the temperature and CO2 levels inside the airport.
Courtesy ECOGAL
Even the furniture at Galapagos has been certified green -- they were acquired from  responsible sources while other pieces of wood and metal were recycled from the previous terminal.
Galapagos Ecological Airport —
Even the furniture at Galapagos has been certified green -- they were acquired from responsible sources while other pieces of wood and metal were recycled from the previous terminal.
Courtesy ECOGAL
Before Galapagos got the gold, there was Boston Logan. As the first airport to receive any kind of LEED certification, this US airport  has stepped up its use of wind turbines, solar panels and other renewable sources since 2012. Now, officials at the airport have announced plans to curb energy consumption, cut carbon emissions and protect runways from rising sea levels.
Boston Logan Airport —
Before Galapagos got the gold, there was Boston Logan. As the first airport to receive any kind of LEED certification, this US airport has stepped up its use of wind turbines, solar panels and other renewable sources since 2012. Now, officials at the airport have announced plans to curb energy consumption, cut carbon emissions and protect runways from rising sea levels.
MASSPORT
Swathes of land around the uber-modern Zurich airport have been claimed as nature conservation areas to protect the region's plant life. Several unique species of flora and fauna reside in the surrounding area.
Zurich Airport —
Swathes of land around the uber-modern Zurich airport have been claimed as nature conservation areas to protect the region's plant life. Several unique species of flora and fauna reside in the surrounding area.
Courtesy Flughafen Zürich AG
The new and improved eco-friendly terminal at Barcelona El Prat Airport opened in 2009, boasting floor-to-ceiling glass walls for natural light and an aluminum roof lined with solar panels to supply the building's energy.
Barcelona El Prat Airport —
The new and improved eco-friendly terminal at Barcelona El Prat Airport opened in 2009, boasting floor-to-ceiling glass walls for natural light and an aluminum roof lined with solar panels to supply the building's energy.
Courtesy Aena
Two 148-foot wind turbines were installed at East Midlands Airport  in 2011, and the move was considered to be a first for an airport in the UK.  The airport ensured all ground operations were carbon neutral in 2012, while also managing a nearby willow farm that can produce bio-fuel.
East Midlands Airport —
Two 148-foot wind turbines were installed at East Midlands Airport in 2011, and the move was considered to be a first for an airport in the UK. The airport ensured all ground operations were carbon neutral in 2012, while also managing a nearby willow farm that can produce bio-fuel.
Courtesy East Midlands Airport
 The architects behind this new project are vying for the title of the world's most sustainable airport when it opens to the public in 2018.  Mexico City International Airport will consist of a single terminal designed to require less materials and energy, using lightweight glass and steel as well as solar power.
Mexico City International Airport —
The architects behind this new project are vying for the title of the world's most sustainable airport when it opens to the public in 2018. Mexico City International Airport will consist of a single terminal designed to require less materials and energy, using lightweight glass and steel as well as solar power.
Courtesy Foster + Partners

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