Green or Greenwash? Southwest’s ‘Green Plane’ Takes to the Skies
Passenger airplanes may never be carbon neutral but many airlines are attempting to find ways to reduce their carbon emissions and become more environmentally-friendly. Some airline, such as Air New Zealand, have been testing alternative fuels.
Southwest Airlines, however, has decided to turn their planes green from the inside out. No, the plane isn’t made of recycled materials and it doesn’t jet around thanks to biofuel. Instead, Southwest has converted one of their Boeing 737-700’s into a “green plane” with the hope that it will not only reduce carbon emissions but also save the company up to $10 million a year in fuel costs.
This “green plane” has been outfitted with a range of eco products: the carpets are carbon neutral and 100 percent recyclable, the seats are covered with either e-Leather and IZIT Leather (manmade leather alternatives that are lighter weight and made of recycled materials), and under each seat is a re-designed life vest pouch which is smaller, lighter and more durable.
These eco-features equate to a weight reduction of about 5 pounds per seat. To the skeptical, this might not sound like much but multiply that by the number of seats and you’re looking at a big load lightening that will result in significant fuel savings and reduced emissions. (Though Jonathan Schein remains unsure we should be impressed.)
Southwest Airlines will apparently be testing the effectiveness of these modifications while the plane is flying its regular flight route between Chicago-Midway and Boston-Logan. But what do you think? Is this green, or greenwash?
Images: gTarded, Airline Reporter
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3 Comments
October 29th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Now let’s get some green snacks on those green planes!
October 30th, 2009 at 7:28 am
I think that the airline industry is catching a bad rap regarding greenwashing. Until biofuels and other forms of alternative power are in the rotation on a mainstream basis, air carriers are forced to take smaller measures toward eco-consciousness. Do they make THAT much of a difference? Realistically, no. At this point, I think it is more about image than real results.
October 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am
There’s no litmus for green or greenwashing. Southwest and other companies trying to improve their environmental behavior sometimes brag more than their efforts warrant. But I’m going to say what Michael Franti sings in a great old Spearhead track – Every million miles ya hafta take a first step. In my opinion, some agency should monitor ad / PR spending and media buying by these companies as relates to their green campaigns, then compare to the spending they had to do to implement the green projects or operations. If spending on ads and PR equals or exceeds green spending, they should be called out. Otherwise, it’s alllllll good.
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