Belgrade, Serbia, is in southeastern Europe, where the Sava and Danube rivers meet. First settled in the 520s, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe with a population today of nearly two million people.
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash
It is also on its way to having one of the most sustainability-focused airports in all of Europe, if not the world. The Belgrade airport, officially known as Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, began an ambitious sustainability program in 2020, which is expected to be completed by 2030.
Among the key parts of the program are the following:
Reduce water consumption per passenger by 50 percent. In airports, metrics such as consumption of energy, water, even the amount of waste generated by the airport, are often measured on a “per passenger” basis.
Protect natural environments surrounding the airport and eliminate the use of pesticides in the airport.
Have a zero-waste program in place; this means most of the airport's waste will either be recycled or reused for the same or another purpose.
Reduce its carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030 and to net-zero by 2050.
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash
In case you did not notice, one of their first goals is to reduce water consumption. Serbia depends on nearby countries for a great deal of its "potable" water (i.e., water that is fit for human consumption). But with a growing population and climate change, the decision was made to find ways to become more self-reliant. When it comes to water, this means using resources far more efficiently.
So, how are they accomplishing this? Here is what the airport is doing:
Collecting data. The first step in any sustainability program is to know how much water is being used at baseline. Instead of just one, seven water meters have been installed in strategic locations throughout the airport. This gives administrators a much better idea of how much water is being consumed and where.
Collecting use data. Airport administrators realized that they needed more information not only on how much water is being consumed in the airport, but also where and how. How much is used for cleaning? For foodservice? How about water used for washing airplanes?
Their new data collection system will help them answer these questions.
Water treatment. All the airport's water is now being treated so that it can be reused. They even installed the treatment facilities on the airport's property. The recycled water will be used to supply toilets, cooling towers, and the airport's heating plant.
Aerating nozzles. Most of us are surprised when we hear a typical sink faucet releases more than two gallons of water per minute. Airport administrators, aware of this, are installing aerating nozzles in all airport faucets. This will reduce the amount of water wasted by faucets by an estimated 70 percent, possibly more.
Water-using and waterless urinals. Some water-using urinals in older sections of the airport will remain, but they will be placed on a "timed flush" system. This means their flushing mechanisms have been removed. Flushing will be automatically and centrally activated throughout the day. However, in all the new and renovated areas of the airport, waterless urinals are being installed. Waterless urinals can reduce consumption by more than 35,000 gallons of water per year per urinal.
Firefighter's water. It appears the people at Belgrade airport have thought of everything when it comes to water. Typically, when the Belgrade firefighters make their daily test of the airport's fire and emergency equipment, they must release large amounts of water. In the past, this water would drain into the city's sewers. No more. Now that water is recovered so it can be used repeatedly in the emergency equipment or for other airport needs.
Even though the transition to using water more efficiently has just begun, the airport personnel already believe they have or will reduce water consumption by as much as 30 percent in 2023. It’s an ambitious program, yes, and it appears to be working.
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