The Airport Cooperative Research program (ACRP), an industry-driven, applied research program that develops near-term, practical solutions to airport challenges, partnered with VHB to contribute to its substantial research body of knowledge. VHB served as the principal investigator for ACRP Report 209: Integrating Sustainability Planning and the Environmental Review Process, which describes the benefits of and best practices for integrating environmental review with sustainability planning. The report outlines strategies to aid implementation and presents tools, concepts, and case studies to help airport practitioners integrate sustainability planning with environmental analysis required under environmental review regulations.
When developing the guidebook, VHB analyzed case studies of sustainability reports and master plans at different airports across the country and conducted a comprehensive stakeholder outreach process. The goal of the guidebook is to demonstrate the opportunities where the sustainability planning process and the environmental review process overlap and enhance one another, as well as to provide suggestions on how to integrate information and concepts between the two. Integrated approaches for sustainability planning and environmental review can improve the effectiveness of the two processes by streamlining the flow of information, improving internal communication and consistency, and strengthening final plans, documents, and implementation.
