As a frequent traveler, it sometimes shames me to be aboard such a monstrous energy consumer, the airplane. I wish there were an alternate method of traveling overseas in a comparable amount of time. I just wish airplanes were green. Fortunately, the airlines wish they were green, too. Fuel prices are getting higher, and the less green the company is, the more it has to pay.
Two years ago, the Seattle Times posted an article that told us the International Air Transport Association plans on developing a “zero-emissions” airplane within 50 years. While this is a noble goal, fifty years is too long. Waiting until the year 2057 may be too late. Mice Cave, vice president of business strategy for Boeing Commerce Airplanes, had a more realistic goal that I agree more with: The focus of the industry should not be to make zero emissions, rather to counteract any pollution it creates. If we lack the technology to make a zero-emissions plane, we should quit wasting time scratching our heads and instead spend time focusing on the improvements we currently have the capability to make. Among those listed in the article are more efficient engines and better ground taxiing procedures (Don’t we all wish that was more efficient anyway?).
Some airlines already have been making strides toward a greener business. Air New Zealand recently had a successful test flight that used fuel that was only half made up of the carbon-based jet fuel that almost all airlines use. They used the weed jatropha to make up the other half of the necessary fuel.
In 1998, winglets were developed, and it surprised me to find that Continental Airlines is the only major airline sporting these energy-saving components. Credited to Dr. Louis Gratzer, former Chief of Aerodynamics at Boeing, these wing tip extensions reduce drag and provide extra lift. Installed on 737s and 757s, it is said that these helped reduce emissions by 5%. Five percent may not seem like a lot, but it literally can mean tons of emissions, and Continental deserves some applause for that.
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