PHX Saves $$$. Pulls Grass for "Green$"

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Over the last two years, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) has transformed its lush green landscape into an eye-catching desert environment that requires less water and reflects the region’s natural beauty. The move from grass and deciduous shrubs to rocks and native flora is expected to reduce the Arizona airport’s annual water usage by 5.375 million gallons and save about $425,000 per year. The $5 million project, which was completed in June, transformed 11 acres and updated 30 more.

“A project like turf replacement conveys the image and identity of Phoenix Sky Harbor and serves as a major step forward in our ongoing sustainability efforts,” explains James E. Bennett, the airport’s director of Aviation Services. “We have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years and continue to add great customer amenities; but we are also committed to being true to what makes us unique while ensuring we are sensitive to our environment.”

It actually looks much better with the new desert landscaping. We did something similar in our own yard by putting down all rock (kept the one cactus we had) in the front yard and replacing the grass section (in AZ it is rare to have an all grass back yard anyway) with turf Our water consumption has dropped almost 50% and it looks great. Kudos to the airport for doing this.