CHICAGO, April 23, 2019 - The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and the  American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) today announced the 12^th Annual Airports Going Green (AGG) Conference will return to Chicago this fall, November 3-6.  The conference will convene aviation and airport professionals from around the world for this year’s theme, Destination: Sustainable Airports, highlighting sustainable airport terminals from around the world.

The 2019 AGG provides Chicago a front-row seat to global industry leaders presenting on cutting-edge terminal initiatives, just as the City embarks on its largest terminal expansion yet, through O’Hare International Airport’s $8.5 billion capital program.

 “The City of Chicago is proud to host this year’s Airports Going Green conference and to spotlight the work being done around the world to revolutionize the way we build, design and operate our terminals to become more sustainable,” said CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee. “As the first city in the nation to develop sustainable guidelines for design and construction at our airports, Chicago is proud to lead the way on an array of modern, green initiatives at O’Hare and Midway.  We look forward to again convening aviation leaders from around the world at the 12^th annual Airports Going Green conference this fall as we share our vision for moving our airport communities toward the 21^st century.”

The CDA founded the Airports Going Green conference in 2007 to foster information-sharing and partnerships among peer airports, aviation thought leaders, and all other stakeholders who share in a vision for aviation sustainability. Co-hosted by AAAE, this annual conference has welcomed attendees to participate in key discussions with airport business partners, government leaders, and top-level speakers from around the world.

“Airports of all sizes can benefit from attending this mission-driven event, which has grown into a sustainability movement since its inception in 2007,” said AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli. “We look forward to bringing AGG back to Chicago this year, where it began, and would like to thank the Chicago Department of Aviation for its ongoing support of AAAE and this conference.”

The CDA is inviting its global airport partners and Sister Airports to speak and attend this year’s conference. CDA’s esteemed Sister Airports include Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Incheon, Istanbul, Quito, Belgrade, and Birmingham, England. Assisting with agenda development is the conference Steering Committee, which includes representatives from major airports in the U.S., including Los Angeles, Dallas, San Diego, Seattle, and Detroit, as well as Canada, Europe, and Asia.

The 2019 conference agenda extends beyond terminal design and focuses on worldwide aspects of sustainable airport terminals, including planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance, implementation, passenger experience, stakeholder coordination, community outreach, and social responsibility. A series of panels, speakers and networking sessions will offer attendees an inside look at the challenges and successes behind some of the world’s most well-known terminal projects. Overall, dozens of airports are expected to participate in this year's dynamic agenda, covering the following topics:

• Sustainable Airport Terminals: Successes, Innovations, Challenges, Lessons-Learned
• Renewable Energy
• Sustainability Ratings Systems for Terminals
• Technology and the Passenger Experience
• Innovations in Sustainable Concessions
• Sustainable Airport Master Planning
• Excellence in Airport Customer Service
• Community Outreach and Stakeholder Coordination
• Airport Carbon Accreditation: How to be Carbon Neutral
• Implementing a Policy of Consolidation
• Sustainable Logistics
• Long-Term Sustainability Planning and Aging Infrastructure
• International Perspectives on Sustainability
• Airline/Airport Partnerships

Additionally, the CDA will host a Sustainable Airport Manual (SAM) External Stakeholder Workshop, aimed at informing strategies for terminal space. As O’Hare embarks on an extensive terminal redevelopment program, the CDA is updating its Sustainable Airport Manual (SAM) to incorporate best practices into the design, construction and operations of the terminal redevelopment. The CDA values feedback from all stakeholders in advancing airport sustainability, and invites registered conference attendees to review and provide commentary on the draft SAM updates at this Workshop, tentatively scheduled for November 3 from 2 – 4 pm.

Chicago’s industry-leading Sustainable Airport Manual (SAM) provides sustainability guidance to all airport design and construction projects, as well as operations and maintenance activities, for CDA’s facilities and for those of concessionaires and tenants.

Registration will open soon! Please visit our website to sign-up for updates www.airportsgoinggreen.org. To sign up your company as an event sponsor or exhibitor, please contact Janet Bennett, AAAE, at 703.797.2533 or janet.bennett@aaae.org.