The Clean Airport Partnership (CAP) was established in 1998 and is the only not-for-profit corporation in the U.S. devoted exclusively to improving environmental quality and energy efficiency at airports. CAP believes that efficient airport operations and sound environmental management go hand in hand. This approach can reduce costs and uncertainty of environmental compliance, facilitate growth, while setting a visible leadership example for communities and the nation.

Over the last several years, CAP’s primary focus has been upon promoting energy efficiency at airports to reduce costs and improve environmental quality; and implementation of the Green Airport Initiative (GAI), which is a comprehensive, streamlined approach for helping airports shrink their environmental footprint while creating a blueprint for sustainable development. The GAI has been designed and implemented with financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the U.S. Congress. Steps of the Initiative include: Documenting environmental achievements, identifying new opportunities, securing financial support, managing strategy implementation, monitoring progress, and making continuous improvements.

To help keep its costs low and provide the best possible value, CAP has assembled a team of nationally recognized experts that it employs based upon the specific needs of its clients. This includes companies and individuals with special expertise in facilitation and conflict resolution, land use and noise mitigation, air quality, water quality, building efficiency, aircraft operations, ground transportation, and sustainable development. In addition to providing technical and policy support, CAP can also create processes for defining common ground between diverse groups on contentious environmental issues.