National Day Show: Aviation authority to launch ‘go green’ campaign |27 June 2015
The local aviation authority has embarked on a campaign to place the environment more central in the airport community’s daily businesses.
This initiative will first be launched to the public, especially the kids, by the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) during the organisation’s involvement in this year’s National Day Show.
The tag line being adopted by the authority to promote its campaign is ‘An eco-leap: SCAA embraces a greener future’.
Altogether seven targeted areas have been chosen to be the main focus of such a new initiative; these include energy efficiency, reduction in carbon emission and noise pollution, solar energy, waste management, water harvesting, education and airport design.
Furthermore, efficiency in flight operations, resulting in less carbon emissions and fuel savings will be targeted by implementing a performance based navigation and surveillance system in the Seychelles airspace.
The organisation has laid down concrete actions over a three-year period to complete its go green projects.
Stakeholders of the SCAA were presented with this campaign in December last year whereby they also received a brochure which outlines the various projects with specific deadlines that are to be carried out.
A policy has also been drafted by the authority’s Energy, Environment and Sustainability (SEES) Committee to establish standards and practices for all staff to conserve energy and reduce environmental impact throughout SCAA.
The local aviation authority’s chief executive, Gilbert Faure ,said as the SCAA celebrates its 10th anniversary, the organisation has decided to relook at the way business is being done by adopting a more sustainable approach in its functions and development.
He added that with environmental concern about climate change, gaseous emissions and noise is becoming an increasingly vital economic and social issue in aviation and the SCAA has an important role to play to ensure that it is doing its part to help address these concerns.
“With the continuous increase in the demand for air travel giving rise to the number of aircraft movements, protection of the environment has become a major challenge globally and many aviation authorities and airports around the world are gathering resources to tackle this.”
“It will definitely help to change the behaviour of the SCAA’s employees and the airport community and their daily duties including strategic decision making, to favour the environment and ensure the long-term success of the airport as the leading Indian Ocean gateway above and beyond Africa,” Mr Faure said.
To promote its campaign to children aged 6 to 12 years, the SCAA will have a maze at the National Day Show. Built in Seychelles and beautifully painted by local artists, kids will be able to learn more about the different targeted areas of the organisation’s go green campaign through simple and colourful illustrations inside the wooden structure. To make the maze experience more educational staff will ask the children general knowledge questions about go green campaign. Through such an activity children will be able to gather information about what the SCAA is doing to help protect the environment. Other surprises will also be found in the maze to make this activity more memorable for the kids.
Apart from the campaign the children will be able to have fun in other activities. The organisation’s carnival float which won the first prize at this year’s carnival will also be there for members of the public who want to take souvenir photos with the beluga airbus and underwater creatures. Video games such as flight simulator and car racing as well as waterslide will be part of fun activities to keep the kids entertained for the three days.
SCAA invites all parents with their children to come down to their entertainment and educational stall to have fun for this historical National Day event at the Roche Caiman Sports Complex next to the tennis courts from today until Monday June 29.