STV’s Baltimore team is supporting a unique collaboration between Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and hospitality partners to minimize waste and reduce the environmental impact of the airport’s operations.

As part of a larger contract with Fraport Maryland, a developer and manager of retail, food and beverage programs at BWI, STV is providing project management services in support of Solution Zero, a zero-waste, zero-cost sustainability program that collects used cooking oil from airport businesses to produce sustainable aviation fuel.

Solution Zero brings together Fraport and Mahoney Environmental, a licensed EPA recycler, along with more than 60 BWI restaurants that collectively serve more than 25 million passengers per year. The program is expected to save BWI over $200,000 annually in waste disposal costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 10,000 metric tons per year.

STV’s team is led by Associate and Senior Project Manager Madhuri Subramaniam, AIA, LEED AP, and Designer Javier Del Rio, who have been coordinating with Fraport, Mahoney, and airport officials for the past 18 months to ensure the successful onset of the project. At a launch event held at BWI recently, both were honored as 2023 Airport Sustainability Champions for their contributions to the Solution Zero project.

“Climate change remains one of the single greatest environmental and social challenges,” said Subramaniam. “We are proud to work on this project with BWI and Fraport, whose commitment to best sustainability practices reinforce our pledge to positive community partnerships and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.”

BWI is the seventh airport nationwide to take part in this sustainability initiative. Officials hope to produce 550 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel by the end of 2023 and 760 million gallons by 2026. The airport’s ultimate goal is to reach carbon net neutrality by 2045.