Neutral Good

Austin airport lands significant milestone with carbon neutral accreditation

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is one of two North American airports at Level 3+ Accreditation.

Courtesy of ABIA/Facebook

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) just achieved a very significant goal, maintaining carbon neutrality and renewing its Level 3+ Accreditation by the Airports Council International.

“Having a carbon neutral airport is a significant milestone for our city,” said Gina Fiandaca, Assistant City Manager, in a release. “AUS plays a critical role in supporting our citywide goals and efforts to combat climate change, especially as we work to cut emissions by 2030, with a goal of achieving net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. I applaud AUS’s commitment to combatting climate change and for being a leader in environmental stewardship.”

The independent accreditation program assesses carbon emissions at airports through six levels of certification (Mapping, Reduction, Optimization, Neutrality, Transformation, and Transition). Besides AUS, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Canada is the only airport currently at Level 3+ accreditation in North America, while only a handful of other airports have reached Level 4 and beyond.

According to the City of Austin release, reaching Level 3+ accreditation means AUS has reduced its emissions as much as possible, offsetting residual emissions by investing in and implementing projects that reduce carbon dioxide. These combined efforts help minimize the airport's environmental impact and have led to a fully carbon neutral airport operation, which, according to the release, includes:

Partnering with Austin Energy to generate 1.8 megawatts of renewable solar energy on the airport campus which provides power to the airport and 160 local homes through the Community Solar Program
Partnering with Signature Flight Support to accept the first-ever delivery of Sustainable Aviation Fuel to AUS earlier this year
Using 100 percent renewable energy in the Barbara Jordan Terminal through Austin Energy’s GreenChoice Program
Using renewable natural gas to power AUS’s shuttle bus fleet and piloting a renewable natural gas credit sharing program with Clean Energy to aid airport partners in reducing their emissions
Receiving Gold LEED Green Building certifications on several buildings on the airport campus, including the 2019 nine-gate expansion and administration building
Achieving an Austin Energy Green Building 3-star rating on the newest completed airport facility, the Airport Career and Development Center
Purchasing renewable energy and carbon offsets from sustainable sources and promoting The Good Traveler program to AUS passengers
Establishing the AUS Food Rescue Program, which donates unused perishable food from concessions to Keep Austin Fed, and a campus-wide composting and recycling program
Partnering with airlines to support electric-powered airline ground service equipment

“AUS is proud to be the first medium-sized North American airport to achieve carbon neutrality,” said Jacqueline Yaft, AUS Chief Executive Officer, in the release. “As our airport develops and grows to meet the needs of our community, we will continue our commitment to carbon neutrality and environmental stewardship through innovative collaboration with our partners, and by incorporating sustainable design and green development.”

To learn more about the airport's environmental initiatives and sustainability program, visit AustinTexas.gov.

austin bergstrom carbon neutral airport

Study This

Austin is the No. 7 most educated city in the country, says Forbes

Photo by Dan Dennis on Unsplash

UT Austin gets a lot of praise, but this study includes degrees from everywhere — as long as the recipient lives in Texas.

Austin and San Antonio don't get all the same opportunities as the even larger cities in Texas, but in a recent study they prove they're prepared. Both made the top 10 in Forbes Advisor's "Most Educated Cities In The U.S." list: San Antonio was No. 4, and Austin was No. 7.

Other Texas cities made the list of 100, but some fell surprisingly far behind. Dallas made No. 20, followed by Houston at No. 79 and Fort Worth at No. 93. In some even more surprising twists, the smaller city of Garland was the fourth in Texas at No. 26, and El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Laredo all beat Houston.

This study compared the 100 largest cities in the country as of the 2021 census, using metrics like high school dropout rate, percentage of adults age 25 and older with some college, but no degree, undergraduate college completion rate, and percentage of adults age 25 and older with an advanced degree. There were also some lower-weighted metrics about equity, studying racial and gender college completion gaps.

Although many education studies fall into praising the University of Texas, this one considers education as a whole — while still mentioning the university once.

In San Antonio, the bachelor’s completion rate for people 25 and up was 67.30 percent, and 29.56 percent of people in that age group have advanced degrees. The study doesn't have much to say about educational opportunities in the city, focusing instead of its tourist potential. But it did note that the city had one of the smallest racial gaps for higher ed, which was only -5.49 percent. Its gender gap was 0.97 percent, and its high school dropout rate was 4.53 percent.

San Antonio's Trinity University did great in a Niche study that came out in early September. It was the No. 18 best small college in America, and topped the list entirely in Texas. Among bigger fish, it was also the No. 20 best liberal arts college in the country (and again the best in Texas), and made No. 4 in general for best colleges in Texas.

In Austin, 59.89 of people 25 or older completed Bachelor's degrees, and 22.76 percent completed advanced degrees. The racial gap was much worse at -10.87 percent. Its gender gap was a bit less than San Antonio's, at 0.69 percent, and its high school dropout rate was more at 7.56 percent.

Of course, this is where the study mentions UT, which is based in Austin. It made WalletHub's 2024 ranking of the best colleges and universities in Texas and earned the No. 2 spot; clinched the No. 6 spot in Niche's ranking of the best public universities in the country; and earned No. 2 in a list of best undergraduate programs for entrepreneurs by the Princeton Review, among other accolades.

Just breaking into the top 20, Dallas' Bachelor's degree completion rate was 57.05 percent, with 21.37 percent attaining advanced degrees. The racial and gender gaps were −14.99 percent and 1.64 percent, respectively. Much further down the list, Houston's Bachelor's degree completion rate was only 32.99 percent, and only 10.97% achieved advanced degrees. High school dropouts were at 8.90 percent, and the racial and gender gaps were −4.99 and 2.10 percent respectively.

Here are all the Texas cities on the list of 100, in order from most to least educated:

4. San Antonio
7. Austin
20. Dallas
26. Garland
49. El Paso
59. Corpus Christi
76. Laredo
79. Houston
81. Arlington
83. Irving

More information on the study by Forbes advisor, including full city rankings and expanded methodology, is available at forbes.com.

education universities