Port Sustainability:

Balancing Competing Priorities

Sebastian Degens, Chair, Harbors

Navigation & Environment Committee
 Sustainability of Transportation Sector is
growing concern
z Transportation is major source
of greenhouse gases
z As an industry, almost entirely
dependent on petroleum
z Major source of air pollution
z Congestion and infrastructure
deficiencies leading to failure
to provide convenient,
affordable, reliable, access to
goods, services, and jobs

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 2
 Goals of the presentation

z Build on APPA Sustainability Task Force Progress

z Present working definition and concept of Sustainability
as a standard business practice
z Describe attributes & characteristics

z Methodologies/tools

z Examples

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

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How can we define Sustainability?
Business strategies and activities that meet the
current and future needs of the port and its
stakeholders, while protecting and sustaining
human & natural resources

AAPA Sustainability Task Force, March 2007

 Sustainable Development

• Facilitating improvement without

jeopardizing what already exists
Brandon & Lombardi, 2005

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Characteristics of Sustainable Development

z Long term-perspective
z Focus both on what you do and how you’re doing it
z Strategic thinking, investments and decisions
z Gains derived from both incremental steps and bold departures
z Business case based on three classes of benefits:
z Return on investment (capital cost, pay back, maintenance
reductions, etc)
z Environmental, social, community benefits

z Implementation issues, schedule impact, risk reduction, capacity

building
z Flexible management strategy
z Thoughtful restructuring, based on continuous learning and
improvement
z Balancing priorities through stakeholder engagement

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 6
 Questions that might help with time

z Will this improvement last a

long time or longer than
previous developments?
z Will it be easily adaptable to
change in the future to avoid
using up non-renewable
resources either in taking it
down or re-use?
z Will it use less energy in
construction, maintenance,
operation, and finally
demolition than similar
improvements?
z Will it create quality?

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 7
Case Study: Port of Hamburg: Integration of
Traffic & Environment on Tidal Elbe River
Port of Hamburg, 100 miles inland, is
dependant on Elbe River for access
into its harbor.

z Tides have been rising for last

50 years
z Less water exchange & greater
siltation in harbor
z More contaminated sediments

z Lower water levels and more

vessel draft constraints
z Increased flooding

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 8
Case Study: Port of Hamburg: Integration of
Traffic & Environment on Tidal Elbe River

Key Goals:

1. Dissipate the incoming tidal

energy through hydraulic
engineering constructions
2. Establish areas that can be
flooded
3. Optimize sediment
management

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 9
Case Study: Port of Hamburg: Integration of
Traffic & Environment on Tidal Elbe River

Key Components

z Involvement of key
stakeholders (Fisheries,
Agriculture, Navigation,
Nature Conservancy)
z Long term view (100 year
framework)
z Optimizing strategies and
objectives and building them
into diverse management
plans
z Outreach & continuous
improvement

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 10
 Common assessment methods and tools

z Cost-benefit analysis
z Economic Impact Assessment

z Ecological Footprint

z Environmental Impact Analysis

z Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

(LEEDS)
z Life Cycle Analysis

z Project Impact Assessment

z Risk Assessment

z Strategic Environmental Assessment

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 11
Case Study: TLS Facility, Portland

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 12
 Project Vision

z The successful completion of the Toyota facility is a cornerstone

of the eventual redevelopment of the entire Terminal 4 complex.

z The completed project will be a signature facility for Toyota.

z The Port will improve its financial position as a result of a new

lease agreement.

z The Port will demonstrate to the community and the regulatory

agencies, that it is able to engineer and construct a facility with
progressive and innovative environmental solutions.

z The Port will send a market message to competing ports that

Portland is and will continue to be the premier automobile port
in the United States.
AAPA 2007 Executive Management
Seminar 13
 Site & Operations Assessment
z Storm water runoff from existing
facility Process for analysis:
z Bank condition of 3000 feet of
riverbank, 944’ of dock 1. EMS Aspects & Impacts
2. Blue-sky review of
z Noise from construction, Opportunities
operations
3. Eco-Charrette
z Neighborhood traffic impacts of 4. Life Cycle Costs
construction Development
z Air emissions 5. LEEDS
z In-water construction
z Aesthetics
z Floodplain impacts
z Site contamination issues
z Energy and lighting
z Cultural Resources
z Materials re-use and resource
recovery AAPA 2007 Executive Management
Seminar 14
 Evaluating Concepts - The Criteria

z Implementation
z Reduced Capital Cost

z Reduced O&M Cost

z Lower Permit Impacts

z Meets Toyota’s Global Commitment

z Funding Availability

z Addresses Multiple Objectives

z Flexibility & Continuous Improvement

z Meets Port’s Environmental Goals

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 15
 Environmental Issues

z Shoreline habitat restoration

z Biological storm water treatment

z Air emission reduction

z Green building design

z Water use reduction

z Community recycling

z Material use reduction

z Vegetative site security

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

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 Energy

z Energy efficiency measures

z Efficient interior lighting

z Efficient exterior lighting

z Onsite energy production

z Building heating and cooling

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 17
 Special Features

z Indoor air quality

z Sustainable design

z Employee amenities

z Future compliance issues

z Community relations

z Columbia Water Taxi

z Expedited construction

z Permit & tax relief

z Mass transit commuting incentives

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 18
 LEEDS Sustainable Sites

z Erosion control
z Appropriate site selection

z Urban redevelopment

z Brownfield redevelopment

z Light pollution reduction

z Storm water management

z Conserve & restore damaged areas

z Incentives for alternative

transportation
z Reduce potable water for irrigation

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 19
 Riverbank Options Considered

• Sheet pile bulkhead

• Riprap existing bank
• Re-graded setbacks of various depths
• Re-vegetated setbacks of various depths
Former River Bank Condition
Digging the Swales
Regrading and Erosion Control
Logs and Willow Stakes
Planted Swales & Temp Irrigation
First Call at New Dock
TLS Waterfront Last Fall

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 27
 Case Study: TLS Facility, Portland

Some Lessons:

z Site and sub-site specific

design required
z Not everywhere, with
everyone, or always
z Needs a tenant to make
redevelopment happen
z Payback is long-term
z Integrating permitting strategy
with design helped z Seriously underestimated
future land needs
z Incentives help too
z Did not consider impacts to
z Keep learning neighbors sufficiently

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 28
 Ports’ Role in sustainable development

z As a business: z There are good reasons to

z Strike a balance in meeting protect the earth- it is the
customer, community, safest and surest way to long
employee, and stakeholder term profitability.
needs
z Improve internal efficiencies Paul Allaire,
z Create new technologies and
CEO & Chairman Xerox
innovative services
z As public authorities-
z Set goals
z Create incentives

z Provide stewardship of
common resources and
capital
z Leadership

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 29
 Adequate land is one of our industry’s key
sustainability issues
z Loss of land to mitigation z Gentrification and
z Incomplete remediation that redevelopment out of port
constrains future re-use uses

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

Seminar 30
 Balancing the priorities

z Build the future into today’s choices

z Bring accountability closer to home

z Inform the choices well

z Confront the biggest challenges to one’s long-term

sustainability

AAPA 2007 Executive Management

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